#because from what i remember it was as if julie and luke had broken up??? or at least agreed to take some time away from each other

[they-didnt-last]

just woke up and no joke, i dreamt jatp had three seasons. i was very disappointed when i woke up

[bridaltrain]

talladega

summary: percy takes annabeth for a night swim and it's only one of their many mistakes (9k, explicit, mortal AU)

She turns seventeen quietly.

Quiet, in Luke’s bed, midnight passing through her phone screen without a single notification to accompany it. He’d opened the window for a smoke and he stands at the sil now, holding one out to her without a word, dressed only slightly more decently than when he’d been on top of her. She climbs onto her knees and out of the furnace of the blankets. Still hot, even at 12 AM, but what else can she expect from July, with a broken AC. Her heart thrums slowly in her chest, worn and sedated. Blinking up at him, she sits on folded legs, hands on the bare mattress—they’ll have to adjust the sheets.

Annabeth has never smoked before, but she’s seen him do it enough times. His face is plain, a little flushed, but plain. When she leans in, she really thinks he’s going to let her, this time. Idiot.

His laugh is dull and breathy, snatching the cigarette back and bringing it to his own lips and she wonders what the difference is to him, between letting her smoke and breathing in his.

She latches onto a pillow, hiding her bare chest behind it, as if it matters. He isn’t looking. The ceiling fan buzzes concerningly above them and she can hear May groaning down the hall. Neither of them pay it any mind.

“Still too young?” she prods, and this is the first thing Annabeth will say as a seventeen year old version of herself.

Her voice stalls in the apartment’s still air. Hesitant, trying to be brave.

He steps close to the side of the bed, and takes one side of her face in a big hand. She remembers what her doctor had said, about how girls don’t usually grow much more by this age and she thinks, unsure what to make of it, that she will always feel this small with him.

“If one day you want to,” he rasps, “it won’t be because I talked you through it.”

True to form, for him. Her first time hadn’t been bad, but it certainly hadn’t been gentle either. He was over that by the time he stumbled upon her, after a teenage lifetime of being his mother’s husband and then her caretaker. And Annabeth—well, she had never been the kind of girl who needed to be cared for. She raised herself with braced fists and scraped knees and Luke had gotten a thrill, she believes, of wrapping her up when she didn’t need it and he wasn’t required to do it. Her first time had not been gentle, but it was sweet. On a blanket layed out on the dirt, in the clearing way out of the city that they’d made theirs. It was spring. A butterfly landed on her shoulder just as he shrugged off her private school sweater and he’d smiled so softly, she had been reminded at that moment that he loved her. It was spring, and she was reborn.

This is what Luke does. He balances his sweetness with blood and Annabeth wishes she hadn’t fallen for the cigarette. Always so fucking eager.

He bends down, kissing her head and for a moment his blond hair curtains her view. “Happy birthday, kid,” he says.

She doesn’t know how old she needs to get before he stops calling her that.

Muffled, the sound of a door opening vibrates through the night. He drops his forehead to her scalp, breathing in deep. It’s moments like this, that Annabeth wants to lace her arms around him, hold him and the scared little kid that still lives inside him. Sometimes, she’s almost sure that he wants it too.

But this system is a delicate thing and she does not have the authority nor the heart to disturb it. She refuses to feel selfish for it because Luke needs her to feel good for something, too, and what’s more pathetic than dripping his tears on the girl exposed bare on her knees in front of him.

May cries out and her son stills.

And then, Annabeth knows it’s time to go.

She’s learned to be quick getting dressed, making herself somewhat presentable again. He escorts her out the front door before his mother can see, hunched over by a photo frame hanging on the wall between their rooms. Luke, eight years old and smiling wide in his little league uniform. He kisses her one more time at the door, and she looks at him, unable to spot the resemblance between him and that little boy. Blue eyes dull like May’s and a smile that stretches like it hurts his cheeks when he waves her off. Beautiful, anyway and always. Her heart aches like a pinched bruise as she takes the stairs down and out of the building.

He and Percy don’t live all that far apart. A couple blocks and a couple minutes if she walks fast, though Annabeth has never been particularly scared of nighttime.

She thinks there’s something other girls have that her parents had missed when they made her. The red light for danger. A cautionary yellow, even. An absent switch in her brain that she sees normal girls often flick on, at parties and school dances and dark hours. Annabeth knows danger, knows it as well as the turns she takes to make it to Percy’s. It’s only that she’d never been great at telling herself to stop.

Checking her phone again, she finds a text from Silena, a missed call from Katie. An Instagram DM from Rachel Elizabeth Dare, which is fucking stupid because there’s a reason she doesn’t have Annabeth’s number and an even better one why they’re not friends. It’s obvious she’s doing this to spite her. Playing pretend as the bigger person. She wonders if the three of them are together right now, and quickly tries to wipe the thought from her mind. Her friends wouldn’t do that to her, she’s sure.

“Annabeth.” Percy stands on the sidewalk in front of her like an apparition, shadowed into his simplest form in just the lamplight, yet there’s no doubt that it’s him. Tall and a little awkward, adjusting to the new growth spurt and eyes that catch the moonlight, shifting shades of the sea. And when she gets closer—red. Wounds poorly dressed and bleeding through, eyes rubbed raw, brown skin peeling like his face had been scraped against the wall.

Her stomach turns. She’d been waiting for a text.

“Percy,” she whispers, though she really means it to sound like baby.

Distance closed between them, his arms wrap around her, strong and shaking, and his lips are warm on her neck when he speaks. “Saw you coming.”

They’re at the opposite end of the block his apartment sits and from this she can tell two things. First, that he must’ve been sitting in his car, because it would’ve been impossible to spot her from his window. And, second, that he’d been hiding. She thinks about Luke, leaning into her, safe behind a locked door. Shuddering, too, because he wouldn’t allow himself to stay hidden for long. His parting kiss is still warm on her lips and she hopes with everything in her that he’ll make it back to bed alright.

She twists the hair at the base of his neck around her finger. “You’ve got night vision?”

“Don’t need it,” he mumbles. “You’re like the sun.”

“I don’t think your head’s right.”

“Probably.” Still holding on tight, he brings his nose to hers and grins sideways. “Happy birthday, Annabeth. Feel different?”

The side of his face that hasn’t been scraped is purple and sickly, a cut splitting the tail end of his left eyebrow. He’s so puffy he almost looks baby faced again and she wants to throw up into his neighbor's shrubs.

Instead she mirrors his smile with glossy eyes and shakes her head. “Just feel like me.”

They pull away after a moment and her phone buzzes in her pocket and it could only be Luke because she keeps everyone but him and the boy in front of her on silent. He shrugs as if telling her to check, but she keeps her hands firmly at her sides. She’s with him. And he’s bleeding.

“Is…is he up there?” she asks, gesturing towards his apartment. The blinds are open and the light is on, a flickering yellow, not warm or welcoming. You can tell just by looking at it that Sally isn’t home.

Percy twists his battered hands. “He’s asleep.”

She falters.

For as long as she’s known him, he hasn’t ever been able to fight back. Which, had been a stupid question to ask when they were twelve. Somehow, she’d been leagues more athletic, though the most sport she’d ever done was run from home on the bad days. He was shorter, too, and craning up at him now she misses what it had felt like to hug him like she could protect him at all. It was a stupid question, but she’d asked it regardless and Percy answered not without rolling his eyes at her first. He’d snap my head off, he’d said. Which may have been true for the time before puberty had kicked the boy he is today into full gear. Broad shoulders that propel him to first place in every swim meet and arms that ripple with lean muscle and hands that can cut like a knife. She never supported the school fights, but she’d be an awful friend to not be proud of him after he won.

Now, Percy doesn’t fight back and it always comes back to Sally. But his knuckles are split and there’s a strange inkling of satisfaction on his face and he says he’s asleep.

“How long?” she treads.

His chest inflates with deep, heavy breaths and she notices there’s a hole at the neckline of his shirt, an old one she’d picked out for him at Goodwill back to school shopping, keen on how it would look on her, too. “I think…” he runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t think we should go up.”

Annabeth nods slowly. “My place?”

“Is that where you wanna spend your birthday?”

It’s not where she wants to spend any day, really. Almost completely, she lives with Luke. Until his mother has an episode and then he sends her off, and she crashes with a friend. Her room at home belongs to a girl she isn’t and Annabeth is in no mood to comb through the cobwebs.

“What other option is there?”

He shrugs and tries uselessly to hide the wince. “We get in the car.”

“And drive?”

“Wherever you want, birthday girl,” he says lazily, a flirtatious invitation, and if it were anyone but him it might’ve sounded sleazy.

In his passenger seat, Annabeth decides she wants to take him to the hospital. The problem with this is that she is in the passenger seat and Percy is behind the wheel, and when his skin peels he requires to be the one to rip it off entirely. The last thing he’d let her do is bring a doctor to question and poke at him, peering into his shitty little home and for no payoff. This isn’t a unique story, he’d told her. Gabe wouldn’t stay gone forever and his mother would suffer for it then, so he wrecks himself in the meanwhile.

“I don’t have anywhere to go.” She says this like a confession, although she hadn’t meant it like one.

He drums his fingers on the steering wheel.

“You need new bandages.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re really not—”

He snaps, “Would you drop it?”

Bewildered, she huffs, staring at the side of his face as he refuses to meet her eyes and she’s getting really fucking sick of the stony expression he wears so often these days. “I don’t get why you won’t just let me help.”

“I never said I needed it.”

No, she agrees. There’s a lot he doesn’t say, like what he was doing with Rachel last weekend in Montauk. The worst part was that Rachel hadn’t outright mentioned it either. Like it was a secret, like it mattered. Instead, she’d posted half-truths. A picture of her freckled legs on a Finding Nemo beach towel. A seashell. A door frame made of teakwood that hadn’t seen an easy day in a decade, a bed of messy white sheets on the other side of it.

“You haven’t said anything for a while.” Her voice is soft, which makes it sound even meaner somehow.

The engine revs and his hand strangles the shift stick. If he wasn’t bleeding from his knuckles they would be snow white. He hauls the car out of its tight parking space in one excellent motion, with confidence that tells her he knows where he’s going.

“You haven’t asked.”

“Okay. Are you dating her?”

His expression hardens, and she imagines what he might’ve looked like when he knocked the lights out of his stepfather, if there’s much of a difference. He starts on what she thinks is the path to his old school, but can’t imagine why he’d be taking there. Why he’d even want to see that establishment again.

“No,” he says. “Did you get back with Luke?”

“No.”

The sound he makes is between a laugh and a scoff. “Yeah, because you just happened to be in the neighborhood.”

She rolls her eyes, rolls her head to face out the window. They pass an old bar, killing flies even on a Friday night. Discreetly, she checks Luke’s text and relaxes into the worn leather when she knows that he's okay.

“Is it crazy to want to see you?”

He’s silent for a beat, driving the car straight but without a steady speed. She watches the speedometer flicker like a flag in the wind.

“Check your jaw,” he says eventually, quiet and rough.

Annabeth hooks her fingers into the vanity mirror, pulling it down, unready to grapple with her reflection. The two braids that rest on either shoulder are frizzy and begging to come undone. Her lips have turned a deep shade of red, bordering on purple. She tips her head back, getting a better look at her jaw—the hickey is more unsightly than it is surprising. His teeth had carved marks into her skin and she doesn’t even really remember when he’d done that, but it stares back at her now, blue and angry, and not even the traffic lights shining on her face can drown it out.

“It doesn’t mean we’re dating,” she mumbles, though she wishes she had said it a bit stronger. Who is he to take another girl to Montauk?

He holds onto a breath as he speeds through the yellow. “It’s casual, then.”

“It’s…” she recalls the day she and Luke had broken up, years ago, and she thinks about how nothing has changed. Their relationship isn’t orthodox, working better without the pretense of being his girlfriend. “It’s just how it is.”

Percy shakes his head. It’s not often he gets to be a condescending asshole, and he’s eager for the opening. He says, “He’s using you.”

For what? she wants to say. Sex isn’t difficult to find for boys like Luke Castellan, and Annabeth is hardly the best at it, anyway. Mostly, she does a lot of laying down, which works for a boy who hates to keep idle. He’d hardly appreciate it if she got up on top of him, she thinks.

“Maybe I’m using him too.”

“It’s different. He’s—he’s older.”

Exasperated, she throws her head back against the headrest. “Can we not.”

His school would usually take thirty minutes to get to by car, a fact she knows because she’d ridden with him and Sally on Monday mornings, stopping through his drop off lane first before taking her back to boarding school for the week. In the empty streets, it only takes a fraction of the time and she can see the familiar LED sign out front, red letters wishing a good summer.

“You’re not over the Rachel thing, so we kinda have to,” he says.

“Those are completely unrelated subjects—you brought up Luke. And you took her on a cozy little Montauk date to get back at me.”

Again, he shakes his head, saying nothing. The school sticks out like a sore thumb in front of them. Percy cruises to the back of the lot, hidden under the shade of an out of place tree and its drooping branches.

He doesn't look like how he drives, she thinks. So at ease taking her here, sliding between white lines, one hand on the wheel. The other rubs his jaw, and he appears every bit the antsy sixteen-almost-seventeen year old boy he is. Skin that wrinkles as he drags it before returning taught in place, and it’s too dark to tell now that the car is off but his tan is not anything special for having spent a weekend on open sunny shores.

Annabeth swings her car door open wide, the vacant spots next to them spanning out until the curb cuts through in a painted red patch, discouraging students from crossing straight into the pick-up lane. She thinks of Percy, just a little younger, eager to see his mom, dreading to go home, stepping onto the red and getting promptly yelled at by a school employee. Remembers the playful roll of his eyes when he’d see her in the passenger seat. He’d slip into the back without much complaint though, because on the days she cut class to come along, Sally was reliable in taking them to the burger place a couple blocks down.

(“Share a shake with me, Percy, please?”

Sally smirked and he sighed deeper into the booth beside her.

“What if I want my own?”

She pouted, eyeing the laminated image of the strawberries and cream shake front page on the specials menu. “I can’t finish the whole thing, but if I don’t have this I’m gonna think about it for the rest of the day, Percy, how am I going to study for pre-calc if I’m thinking about a milkshake?”

Percy surrendered and got upwards of three sips before Annabeth was licking the remnants of cream off the bottom of the straw.)

He trails behind her on the way to the side doors, the opposite end of the school where the outdoor pool carves into the pavement, which she’s realizing must be where he’d meant to take her.

“It’s locked,” he says uselessly.

Luke had taught her the credit card trick soon after they’d met. To impress her, she thinks. And it worked because he’d stayed up all night with her in the dark library, his chest warm against her back in the kid's corner while she read and he watched her read. She was young and enthralled by a hunger she’d spent so long beating down. Needless to say, she was impressed.

Annabeth does not have a credit card—but a school ID works all the same.

“That’s not gonna—”

The lock comes undone with a satisfying click and she places her hand around the nob, elated when it turns.

She smiles, smug. “What were you saying?”

It’s an old school with horrible security measures, but that’s unimportant. She lets herself in, hears the door stall as he does as well and hopes that he’ll follow just as compliantly to the nurse’s office.

“We’re gonna get in trouble,” he warns, half-heartedly, knowing he’s already lost this fight.

“They’ve already expelled you.”

“I meant with the law.”

The nurse’s office door, thankfully, is not locked. Inside, it smells like lemon and bleach and she sees a bowl of lollipops on the countertop depleted almost to the bottom. Mid July, summer school is in full swing and it’s for this reason the office is fully stocked. Not the hospital, but close enough.

They turn on the lamp next to the patient’s chair, and she crooks a brow until he sits down. It’s hard to miss the hurt that flickers over his bloodied features, fighting down the ache. He nods to the cabinet on his right and she kneels, fishing out the supplies.

She sets the bandages, alcohol, ointment, beside him on the chair, pointedly keeping her gaze down. He tries to reach for the supplies and she quickly bats his hand away.

“Annabeth,” he says.

Cotton pad saturated with alcohol, she brings it to a nasty scratch down the side of his face. He hisses, but steadies himself before saying again, “Annabeth.”

“Hm?”

“I didn’t take her.”

Her fingers shake around the tube of ointment. His hand clasps around hers.

“She was hosting some beach clean-up thing in Montauk and needed somewhere to stay—I wasn’t there with her. It wasn’t a date.” His face, when she can bring herself to see, is open and honest. Maybe a little desperate. “I’m not dating her.”

She chews her lip, trying hard to fight the relief that crashes down on her. Pointless. He’s her best friend before anyone else’s anything and she is so relieved.

Annabeth finishes working quietly. She cleans his hands and soothes his knuckles and sticks band aids where there’s still active bleeding. It’s an easy and practiced process, which makes her a little sick to think about.

“You’ve kissed her, though,” she says, her words careful. The band aid wrappers crinkle in her palms before she shoves them in the trash.

“If one kiss is indicative of dating, you and Luke must be planning a wedding.”

It’s a very sixteen-year old conversation they’re having. But Annabeth is seventeen—and single, may she add. “You have a very narrow view of sex, Percy.”

“Is that what he tells you?” he says, and she knows exactly what he thinks of sex and kisses and dating. Simply parked between the white lines—love, for boys like Percy, is only ever good. Love is his mother’s crooning voice and soft hands and confectionary scent she wears. It’s his memory of his father, lost at sea, a warm glow, an adoring smile. The man who came and swept a young Sally from her life of misery and monotony, who showed her how rough ocean waves can be a friend under his sails. A man who would have stayed, had he not been taken from them. Humanity split in his household in a perfect binary; the Sally Jackson gold standard and the Gabe Ugliano bar set deep in Hell.

Annabeth was not raised on love. She doesn’t think her father is capable of it—which is not to say he’s a horrible person for it, only that he can’t help it. Her mother had no qualms leaving her on the doorstep of a broke graduate student, and she surely didn’t care enough to send any letters. Frederick did what he could, meaning he did not do a lot. By the time she came to him, eight pounds and 3 ounces wrapped up pastel hospital cotton, he had already devoted his life to an intellectual pursuit she couldn’t fit in, no matter how tiny. The unlucky thing is that babies only get bigger. It wasn’t enough to keep her fed on formula and apple sauce, to lay her in bed as many times a day as she would accept. Annabeth quickly became old enough to take care of herself; she wanted to be loved, even if she wasn’t sure of what that meant.

She wonders, sometimes, how far she would have gone searching for it if Luke didn't find her first.

“You’re an asshole,” she decides. Because seventeen isn’t old enough to make her graceful.

For whatever reason, Percy laughs. “Yeah. Thank you. For patching me up.”

“I would rather not have to.” She leans back against the bed, their shoulders touching. “On my birthday, too.”

“I got you a present.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“It’s at home, in my safe.”

She quirks a brow. “You got me a gun?”

Of course, she’s joking. She knows that he’d hid it to keep Gabe from pawning it off for money to gamble, but she really does want a gun. He’s asleep, Percy had said. It would be an honor to do him one better.

“You are so lucky there aren’t cameras in here. Talking about firearms after breaking and entering, Annabeth, who raised you?” And then, “Don’t answer that.”

He lets himself down from the patient’s chair and the paper beneath is wrinkled, but not torn so neither of them say anything. She watches him walk to the doorway, feet planted on the tile.

“I didn’t take you here to spend the night in the nurse’s office.”

Percy is massaging one hand with the other, wringing them together with the same stress that weighs on his forehead and shades his eyes a little darker, and she wants to kiss it all better.

It would be cruel to make him doubt himself anymore than he already does. She reaches out a hand that he takes, leading them through dark hallways and out to the pool.

It’s covered, obviously. She suspects Percy is used to doing this because he instantly finds the machine to retract it, working it without hesitation. Everyone needs a place to go, she guesses.

Annabeth sits on the edge, shoes discarded. She dips her feet in once the cover has been pulled up in front of her. It’s not as hot now as it was back at Luke’s, still she didn’t expect the water to be freezing.

“You just gotta give it time to adjust,” he assures.

Fingers meekly gripping the hem of his shirt, he turns around. A second passes while a car honks down on the road, and then another before he takes it off. It’s endearing, she thinks, feeling her face heat. Though he has no reason to be self-conscious, not when she was a reliable first row attendee at his swim meets. Scars drag down his brown skin in streams of red and white, and there’s a scratch by his nape that looks particularly fresh and her mind conjures up the image of Gabe with his jagged crusty nails, digging into his tender skin, forcing his head back to get up in his face.

He’s very beautiful. Lean muscles working shyly as he moves, a face just about as pretty as God can give a boy. Quiet and angry and eager. Leaving his jeans on the deck and getting in the water to wade to her. The ripples distort his body and it's a purposeful veneer.

Annabeth suddenly feels very gross sitting in clothes that had once been on Luke’s floor.

Girls dream of having someone like him, she knows. Rachel had wormed her way into Annabeth’s friend group just to get close to him, but he could never get himself to revel in the attention like anyone else might. He declined dates with a weak I’m busy, sorry and he would keep being busy for as long as they would ask. He went with Annabeth to school dances or he didn’t go at all.

She’s not oblivious—she knows he’s waiting.

It’s black and white with him. Or, he wants it to be. She’d messed it up for him before, young and reckless and desperate. The memory leaves a sour taste in her mouth now; fourteen years old, in the corner of her dark room in her parents house. The floor, not the bed, because Percy had come to her running, drenched in sweat and springtime rain and blood, and dropped to his knees on the carpet. He’d said he did it himself. He’d gone through and reopened every little wound that patched itself over and the sobs that racked his body were too big for a kid his age, she remembers thinking. It was all too big. The police, his stepfather, the charges all dropped. Annabeth was just as young, at a loss for what to do as she cried with him. Later, she would think the only thing he needed was her presence. Someone to talk to, a friend who would listen.

At the time, she could only think about how much pain he must’ve been in. And that recently, with Luke, she’d learned of something that could numb it.

The kiss was fraught and messy. She thinks neither of them really knew what to do with it, even though it was not Annabeth’s first kiss, it was the first one she had to take the guiding role in because Percy knew even less and she kissed him until their lips were swollen and his cries had turned into breathless groans.

They were very young.

It’s a weird thought—she looks back at having sex with Percy with something like shame. None of their friends their age were doing it, too, and so they knew they had to keep it secret from them at the very least. And yet. They’d also kept it a secret from each other, even though they had done it together, even though neither of them would ever forget. She had felt dirty and wrong and—infectious.

It was glaringly apparent that he would have never done anything close to the sort had she not initiated it. Had she not already lost her virginity to a boy her friends didn’t know about yet because they wouldn’t get it. Luke was her first love in every sense; Annabeth was also wise enough to know their relationship wasn’t right. Sex with him hadn’t made her feel bad about herself, though. His praise, his touch wrapped around her like a halo.

Yet she remembers the silence from Percy in the week following what they’d done, she remembers thinking that she’d been doomed to a life of wrong kinds of love, and that she had become the poison.

She’s older now. And not much has changed, she realizes. Except Percy, paused a foot away from her in the water as his phone vibrates back where he’d left it, knowing now what he hadn’t those years ago. Knowing, and still waiting for her.

“You don’t have to answer it,” she offers, finding her voice.

He doesn’t listen.

He’s pulled away from her again, back where he’d started. At the other side of the pool, his phone shines in the night as he answers the call and the rest of the night is contingent on this one moment. His finger, a green accept button, and a choice.

For the first time, it occurs to her she may not be the only one missing the cautionary switch in their brain.

She knows by the way his face drops that the voice on the line must be the last one he’d ever wanted to hear.

Like on autopilot, Annabeth tugs off her own clothing, stripping down to her bra and underwear. Her hands grip the deck as she lowers herself into the shallowest end. She walks until she can’t and then half-strokes her way to him. Just deep enough that the water comes up to cheeks if she stands firmly on the soles of her feet.

Percy listens to Gabe berate him like his hands are tied. The line is unstable and his voice is drunken, but she makes out enough. You’re fucking lucky your mom isn’t home, ya know that. Fucking useless. I’ll kill you. Try coming home, boy. I’ll kill you both. She never wanted your sorry ass anyway. Useless bastard. Ruined what was left of her miserable fucking life.

She shakes her head, wishing it could stop, knowing it’s not her place to cut the call. Percy, she mouths, vocal chords failing her.

His eyes are hard set and it’s difficult to tell if he believes what he’s hearing. The logical part of her knows it’s not true. Sally lives for Percy, and Annabeth knows she regrets Gabe every day. She wishes she could tell him this, but he won’t hang up and if Gabe hears her voice it’ll only set him off even more.

She shakes his arm, urging him to wake up, to do something. She wants him to have the satisfaction of hanging up. If anyone deserves the last word. Where was the boy who’d smiled so smugly, who’d knocked out his life’s bully without any remorse?

Paralyzed, apparently. Frozen still until an angry growl and something like glass smashing rings over the line before it cuts.

“Percy?” she’s holding onto the edge with one arm to keep her head out of the water. Her braids are half-soaked.

He stands with his chin comfortably as dry as his eyes.

“He’s lying Percy, please tell me you know that—”

“It’s okay, Annabeth,” he says, scarily calm.

“No, it’s—”

“It’s okay,” he repeats. His hands find hers, gripping them tight and she thinks he’s trying to stop them from shaking. “Don’t worry.”

This is a horrible thing to ask of her, but she sees the expression on his face, open and in need, and she’s starting to understand what he means. Because their first time together had been fueled almost entirely on her worry and he doesn’t want that now, and when he inches closer to her, dropping a hand down to her thigh to coax it around his waist to hold her steady in the deep end, she sees the green light.

This time, Percy gets to kiss her first.

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[1mnobodywhoareyou]

Meeting in the ER on Halloween night due to Circumstances

From @innytoes prompt list.

Alex walks into the ER grumbling and groaning about his bonehead best friends and bandmates because of course this is how they’re spending the rest Hallowe’en. He gets them checked in and they head to the waiting room. And of course, as if it couldn’t get any worse, OF COURSE it’s full. They’re going to be here all night (he’s sure that if he asked, a nurse or clerk would tell him that this is par for the Hallowe’en course but he’s not really interested in having curses confirmed at this point so he doesn’t).

He leans against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment of reprieve against the harsh fluorescent lighting and taking the much-needed deep breath that he hasn’t allowed himself since Reggie first fell off the stage.

He opens them again when somebody pulls on his sleeve.

He sighs, exasperated, “Reggie, you’re not a child. Can you not?”

“Seats,” is all he’s met with and he looks over to where Reggie is pointing. Two seats have indeed opened up on the other side of the room (Reggie doesn’t need one. Even though he’s insistent he can walk, his pain at most movement is evident and Alex is instead pushing him in a wheelchair).

The trio hobbles (Luke would be bouncing, if he could, but a fucked up ankle will do that to you. Alex doesn’t bounce on a good day and well, his movements tonight could best be described as trudging) over to them and drop into the chairs.

“What did yours do?” a voice asks suddenly from across from him. He looks up to see a curly-haired girl about his age smiling at him in soft understanding. 

He directs a confused look her way and she points to the boys on either side of him. “Your boneheads, what did they do?” She tilts her head to the side, indicating the boy beside her, “mine forgot that things on small wheels and no engines should stay away from things with big wheels and large engines.”

His eyes widen in understanding and he chuckles lightly. He jerks his thumb toward Reggie, “this one decided to try a new move on stage and fell off,” he then points toward Luke on his other side, “and this one jumped off on purpose to make sure he was alright.”

“Aw, that’s sweet!”

He rolls his eyes, “yeah, sweet. Except that he forgot how to land and now I have two broken bandmates.” 

“You know we’re right here, right?” Luke chimes in from beside him. He leans forward to introduce himself, “hey, I’m Luke. The grouch is Alex.”

Reggie lifts his arm in a weak wave with a slight wince from Alex’s other side, “Reggie, hi!”

She laughs, “I’m Julie. This is Willie.”

Alex glances over at her friend for the first time since they’d sat down and has to do everything in his power to keep his brain online. Cute is an understatement and they’re covered in bruising and lacerations but he’s pretty sure he’s never met a prettier person. 

He suddenly remembers what she’d just told him and his attention is wrenched back to the present. “Wait, big wheels and engines, are you ok?!” 

Willie shrugs with a slight chuckle, “no worse for wear.”

She rolls her eyes as she laughs, “I mean, we’re here, but it sounds worse than it was.”

And then she says those magic words, “so, you’re in a band?” and he knows he’s lost her to Luke.

“Sunset Curve!”

“Tell your friends!”

She and Willie laugh and Luke leans across Alex to tell her about it. She’s either very good-natured about Luke being Luke or she’s a kindred spirit and the short sympathetic look that he exchanges with Willie over their heads alludes to maybe the latter. 

He feels a nudge in his other side and turns to look at Reggie who nods toward Willie with a grin. Alex feels his face heat. Great, so apparently he hadn’t been as subtle as he thought he had. Or Reggie is very, very perceptive. And from what Alex knows of Reggie, there’s a good chance it’s a little bit of both.

“Hey, Luke!” Reggie calls out, voice a little louder than it needs to be in order to effectively pull Luke out of his music-trance. “You should switch with ‘Lex,” he tells him when he’s met with a confused look. Luke immediately stands, surprisingly remembering to mind his ankle, and shifts over so that he and Alex can trade spots. He immediately leans forward and picks his conversation with Julie back up from where they’d left it, completely oblivious to the world around him. Again. 

He sighs and directs his attention to the boy across from him and is met with a grin.

“Hey.”

He smiles back, “hey.”

Nobody notices the knowing, self-satisfied look on Reggie’s face as he watches his friends.

[invisibleraven]

"Setting the Christmas tree on fire doesn't count as a way to get warm, ok?" / GPP

No one would claim that Covingtons Home for Wayward Youths was the warmest place on Earth. Not only because the flamboyant proprietor had a disdain for children, merely doing the job for the money and the free labour. But the place was also a drafty, cold house, in ill repair and with thin, ragged blankets all the children had to protect them from the wind some days.

This meant there was always someone who was sick due to the temperatures, and the doctor was too pricey an expensive to waste on them, or so Mr. Covington claimed. They all figured it would go triple that if any of them were arrested and expected him to bail them out.

So when Alex got sick, Willie knew his options were limited. "We need to get you warm," he said.

"How?" Alex sniffled. "You already gave me your blanket, and I'm wearing my only coat."

"I don't think your ripped denim jacket is offering much in the way of warmth," snarked Carrie from the corner.

"At least he has a jacket," Flynn grumbled.

"Sister Alvarez is coming with more clothing donations next week," Julie offered, though her teeth were chattering as she said it.

"Next week isn't good enough," Willie resolved. "I'm gonna see if I can get a fire going, warm us all up."

"With what firewood?" Luke asked. "It's not like we have a forest nearby to chop some."

"I mean there's always the Christmas tree," Reggie said, gesturing to the dried bit of pine that was starting to turn brown in the corner, but no one had bothered banding together to get it out of the common room.

"Setting the Christmas tree on fire doesn't count as a way to get warm, ok?" Carrie said. "It's a way to set the room ablaze that thing is so dried out."

"Well I'll see what else I can find," Willie resolved.

In the end he got a pile of old newspaper from the trash, the broken wooden train that only hadn't been thrown out since their toys were limited, but Willie decided it was a worthy sacrifice, plus a small book of matches left behind by one official or another that Mr. Covington had swindled to look the other way about the delipidated state of the place.

There was a small grate in the room, so Willie prayed the flue wasn't blocked as he started the small flame. Since the smoke went upwards and didn't flood the room, he figured luck was on their side for once.

He moved Alex close, even if the fire was small and weak, Willie decided it would have to do. The others came closer too, their body heat mingling so it almost felt cheery.

"Pity we don't have marshmallows," Reggie quipped.

"We could always sing campfire songs anyways," Luke suggested.

"Do you know any campfire songs?" Carrie asked.

Luke had a befuddled expression on his face then shook his head. Everyone else exchanged glances, but no one seemed to have any ideas.

Until Alex, his voice croaky and weak started singing a song he vaguely remembered from church, Julie taking up the lyrics soon after, the rest of them humming along as best they could.

Sure their lives were miserable, and the fire would soon die out, but right now, looking around at all his friends faces? Willie felt well and truly warm.

[daintyduck99]

WIP game: Step Into The Daylight gives off all kinds of vibes.

Ah, my beloved concept, my beloathed story to actually write lmao

SITD is, at its core, about letting people love you. It's a Peterpatterlina fake dating au that kicks off with Reggie's mom getting remarried. Which is great! She deserves it.

The only issue is that Reggie doesn't have a date. And she's going to be worried about him the whole time instead of making the most of what should be her day.

(Mayyyybe they're a little codependent because she's always made too many sacrifices for him and his dad was an asshole. It's fine. Maybe he simply doesn't want her to sacrifice this, too.)

He's about to turn to Tinder or Craigslist for a fake date in a fit of desperation. Luke, with an admittedly-only-marginally-less-stupid idea, would rather have him take Julie (at least she's not a stranger who might murder him or--solocit him somehow, okay?!). He convinces her to go as Reggie’s fake girlfriend, and she agrees on the condition that they hash out any awkwardness up front, and that they all lay down rules as to what is and isn't okay.

Luke then convinces Reggie, but they hadn't counted on his mom remembering how solid of a couple Luke and Julie had always been. His mom thinks he didn't want to tell her who he was bringing because Julie's dating both of them, and gently chastises him ("I know what polyamory is Reginald, I'm hip.")

So then he's on the hook for bringing both Luke AND Julie.

The pining commences from there, with lots of hurt about how it's not actually real on all sides. Some rules are broken, and some hearts break with them. But then they actually talk like adults and put them back together and when the morning comes--

Luke and Julie are still there.

I do have some of it written, but it feels too--short? Rushed? Like I could definitely be exploring everything more and building it better. The opposite of what I'm having with the fearless fic, which is dragging. 😅

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Michael-centric Masterlist

am i broken (are you the saviour) (ao3) - jbhmalum T, 4k

Summary: He should do something. Maybe take a deep breath, in and out. Maybe turn on the bedside lamp. Maybe go lie down on the cold bathroom floor. Maybe bury himself under Calum’s covers and cuddle up to him; it probably wouldn’t even wake Calum, and Michael would get the comfort he needs.

Michael hears something he didn’t want to and has a hard time dealing with it.

Fucking Jerks (ao3) - orphan_account OT4 E, 37k

Summary: "Okay, who cums first loses, and owes a blowjob to the winner. Correct?" Calum raises his brows: "A blowjob now, huh?" "Well, a dish fit for a king," Michael replies.

Or: Ashton bids a Jerketition and who is Michael to refuse...? (Includes the winner+loser spin off)

I Don't Wanna Be a Monster Among Men (I Won't Break Your Heart Again) (ao3) - Anonymous OT4, Michael/Ashton M, 2k

Summary: Ashton’s hand moves to finger Michael’s fringe. “It’s okay, honey,” he interjects, whispering. “If you want, I can listen and not talk. No pressure, though.”

Michael contemplates but nods slowly. He takes another blow of his joint and observes Ashton lighting his own before speaking. “I’ve been doing a lot of research on it lately. I don’t know how to tell people because they,” He pauses to sigh again, “wouldn’t get it.”

(Or where Michael isn't really Michael but struggles with telling his partners.)

I'll look after you (like I've never done before) (ao3) - anykindofgal N/R, 6k

Summary: No one had heard from Michael in a few days. No texting, no calling, no hanging out. They had their own lives and things to do, they understood that much. Only, they all stayed in touched with Michael through the power of memes. But it had been four days, to be exact, and Michael hadn't texted anyone in the group even one meme. Calum decided to text his friend, and if they hadn't heard anything back by the next morning, they were going to his place to check out what was going on.

So, the next day around noon, the three boys arrived at Michael's place.

((in which Michael gets sick and the boys need to care for him))

July (So Happy I Could Cry) (ao3) - valiantnerd (arareads) OT4 T, 2k

Summary: As they lay together and the sun starts to come down, all Michael can think of is about how fucking cute they probably look from above. Turned in a naturally happening mosaic by the light filtering through the leaves above them, painted in glowing hues by the sleeping sun, bleeding love from every inch.

Michael's boyfriends are dumb and far too in love with each other. They're also having a picnic.

Just Fake It for Me (ao3) - calumthomases (orphan_account) OT4 M, 1k

Summary: So, Michael Clifford doesn't have as huge of a dick as everyone assumes.

Lucky Charm (ao3) - jbhmalum Michael/Ashton, background Luke/Calum E, 28k

Summary: during the european leg of the rowyso tour, michael is pining after ashton, and he finds himself on an interesting journey with luck

Luke is absolutely clueless (but Michael loves him anyway) (ao3) orphan_account Michael/Luke, OT4 G, 2k

Summary: Michael tries and fails to propose to a hopelessly clueless Luke.

Mamihlapinatapei (ao3) - merlypops michael/calum T, 2k

Summary: 'Michael remembers sitting in the cafeteria at school and gazing at Calum with such fondness and feeling a jolt of shock when Calum returned the look just as warmly, and Michael remembers wondering vaguely when they stopped being brothers and started being something else instead.'

Michael falls in love with his best friend and it feels like being torn apart.

Mia (ao3) - SinisterMind Michael/Everyone T, 4k

Summary: He googled it. Googled what he felt like and was satisfied with the result. The itch was still there but at least he knew what was causing it.

Oh, how the tables have turned. (ao3) - Abbypd

Summary: Or, Michael is known for his sexual innuendos and then his roommates find out he is a virgin. The boy should've known that what comes around, always goes around.

Puzzle Pieces (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) Michael/Calum T, 19k

Summary: Michael has wanted a soulmate ever since he first learned what the blue on the back of his mother's neck means. This is the story of how he gets three, and how he figures out what that means to him.

Smile for Me (ao3) - valiantnerd (arareads) T, 1k

Summary: Ashton’s smiling too, there’s probably nobody in this fucking carpet who isn’t, but he doesn’t look cagey and cornered in the way Michael feels. Ashton’s always been all high-cheekbones and wide smiles that creased the corners of his eyes, while Michael has always felt like a slab of lard slapped on a plate; nothing appealing about it.

Michael fucking hates red carpets.

the best thing that ever happened (ao3) - citiesbelow OT4 E, 4k

Summary: OT4 anniversary sex in which they all spoil Michael as much as they can!

Three Weeks (ao3) - plantsaway Michael/Luke N/R, 22k

Summary: The baseball!au no one asked for! Michael Clifford is in his rookie season in the Major Leagues—he's found the place wants to stay for the rest of his career, found friendship and brotherhood with his teammates....and really, who wouldn't love 5sos hanging out in baseball pants?

Torn Up - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) T, 8k

Summary: Ashton can pretend all he wants, but Michael isn't an idiot; he knows when something's wrong.

we're just taking it slow, we're taking the long road home (ao3) - Bethany_i_made_bIScuiTs OT4 N/R, 5k

Summary: 3 times Michael feels like he's home and the 1 time he says it

You've got no hips to shake (ao3) - maiamaryse Michael/Luke G, 1k

Summary: The walls of the room are green, and everyone inside it knows that Michael is not a boy.

[mouse-fantoms]

The way I always thought of it and have a headcanon of is that by going off the name we can assume that this song “Reggie’s Jam” Reggie had a part in its creation. And because before Luke plays it he tells Reggie “I think I know something that will cheer you up” and he starts the beats of it and he looks to Alex like “hey come on I know you remember it” and then Alex joins him, I am lead to believe that this is a song Reggie came up with and that Luke remembers and he knows it was a song that makes them all feel good and has positive memories tied to it bc I believe 👀 this is the song that got Sunset Curve to be Sunset Curve.

Just going off of what we know about the three like they just give the impression that they’ve known each other for like years right, Bobby too. (Like I just imagine a lil Bobby, Luke, Alex and Reggie meeting in like elementary and like just being buds with each other) Like idk the group gives the vibe that like they’ve grown up with each other (which since Julie is in their life now they bring up embarrassing stories from the past about each other all the time bc hey it’s fair material to embarrass with).

I just picture the group like meeting in school (possibly music class) when they’re younger and you know as kids when you get asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” And the popular answers are like vet, singer, actor like I feel like our group when they were kids one of them Luke was like “I wanna be a musician!” And his friends being his friends were like “yeah me too! That sounds awesome!” And then one of them was like “we should start a band!” And that’s the start of “This Band is Back” like a variation of it

So I feel like lil pre-Sunset Curve had this like “childhood dream” of starting a band together and bc they’re growing up they kind of don’t really act on it actively but they still keep their musical interests in mind as they grown up.

Then it’s like one summer day (they’re about to going into high school around that age), they’re in the garage, this has started to became an occurrence bc of most of their home lives, they’re all just like slumped on the couch, there’s already some instruments in the garage bc it’s an interest of their’s. And I just picture they’ve talked about being in a band a few times recently but they haven’t acted on it too much and today Alex is feelin extra down bc his parents, Bobby is down too bc of his family issues and Reggie too bc of his parents and Luke is sad for his friends bc like he doesn’t really know how to help them.

As Reggie is there, slumped on the couch with them all, he sees the drums, the guitar, his bass and then Bobby’s rhythm guitar all on their stands. And Reggie being Reggie he’d see the bored and broken faces of them and he wants to do something about it.

The three hear a faint beat on the table from Reggie as he’s drumming with his fingers (their attention is immediately caught bc it’s a tune they’ve heard/made before suddenly being played) and Alex looks at him like “hey man that’s my thing” and Reggie still keeping beat goes “Come on, Alexander one, two, three, four can you hear me?”

And Luke answers “Loud and clear” on beat bc he sees what Reggie is doing

“Gotta get, gotta get ready” Reggie sings as Bobby answers with “cause it’s been years” and as the three sing the “oh,” Alex joins in with the “This band is back” since he is now onboard and it’s just the four of them singing this song that they made when they were kids bc of this “silly little childhood dream” of starting a band and I think after that moment, bc they need something to distract themselves from their home lives and just be passionate bout they start the band and become Sunset Curve after that point.

Basically I just think “This Band is Back” is a silly fun time song that holds a special place in their heart and that they sing from time to time bc it marked the start of Sunset Curve for them

i feel like we don't talk about 'this band is back (Reggie's Jam)' enough.

how did it come about. was it a song they already had written, if so why. like, before they died they were at the 'peak of their careers'; why would they write a song about 'coming/being back' when they were still at the top.

this leads to my headcanon/theory:

they literally made it up on the spot. like they telepathically communicated the whole thing. because they were so in-tune with each other when they were alive that they could do that. it's why Luke looks to Alex and Reggie as much as he does. he's wanting to make sure they're picking up what he's putting down. i mean their instruments were so intrinsically part of them they could be summoned at will. so it stands to reason that they could do this with their thoughts/selves too.

the fact that it's parenthetically called 'Reggie's Jam' will always get me feeling some kind of way.

[jupitersreadings]

that night.

summary; based off the song unsaid emily from julie and the phantoms because that song breaks my heart.

warnings; just sad calum.

length; 1.5k

pairing; calum hood x y/n

calums pov;

" cal.. calum, calum!" ashton shook me out of my daze, he was looking down at me along with michael and luke who have moved over to where i was sitting. " i've been calling your name for the past 3 minutes, it's your turn to record "

the past two months have been a complete blur smooshed together. i ran out on someone i shouldn't have, and now i don't even know if they ever want to speak to me. i haven't been able to focus on anything but her.

" calum " ashton snapped again now down at my eye level. he knew, they all knew. i haven't spoke of it since the night i left. i ended up at ashton's house, i remember explaining what happened and i was so angry. looking back i was nothing but selfish.

" yea. " i managed to get out, " i need to get it off my chest, i don't know what else to do. " i breathed out.

" yea, yea, well pause on recording, cmon " ashton nodded in agreement. he's been trying to get me to talk about it since everything, i haven't. luke ran off to talk to the producers and the writer we were writing with today. ashton helped me up and we made our way to another room.

everyone piled in, ashton bringing over what instruments we needed in. i finally realized what was going on when a notebook and a pen was placed in front of me. all eyes were focused on me and i sighed, closing my eyes. her face, her sad tearful face showed up. i promised to never leave, and i did, i ran out on her.

" take your time cal. " opening my eyes and seeing michael holding an acoustic guitar in his hands. i looked towards the paper and began to write down what happened.

first things first, we start the scene in reverse

all of the lines rehearsed, disappear from my mind

when things got loud, one of us running out

I should've turned around but i had too much pride.

it was all coming back in waves. the night i chose not to remember or think about. she was so happy, i hurt her. looking up at the guys, they could see it in my eyes. " here " i reached for the guitar in mikeys hands. " um.. how does this sound " sounding weak as i spoke. taking a deep breath i began to tell the story of that night. i got a smile from all three of the guys and encouragement from the writers in the room.

" do you mind if i chirp in? " ashton asked, he was the only one who saw me in the moment and heard the words coming out of my mouth. he's also the only one who's talked to her sense everything. i shook my head, moving over to make room for him.

no time for goodbyes

didn't get to apologize

pieces of a clock that lies broken

he sang looking over at me for approval and i nodded. " that's good " i managed to get out, " um and then i was thinking maybe something about wanting to do those things. like closure almost? "

" oh what about.. if I could take us back, if I could just do that " luke sang, " like the beginning of the chorus. i bite my lip and nodded writing down everything that sounded right.

as the session went on, tears fell from my eyes and i needed to leave about four different times to calm down. the chorus was the hardest part to write. verse two came so easy.

silent days, mysteries and mistakes

who'd be the first to break?

i guess we're alike that way

as sad as it sounds there were laughs when writing it, poking at both of our bad traits. we'd point them out to each other and laugh about it, together.

" calum " luke knocked me out of my head once again. i looked up to see his tall figure sitting down next to me. this song was being created by all of us, the writers haven't changed anything once. " do you still love her? " his words flooded my brain. all of our precious moments together and memories we've created over our two years relationship and life time of friendship.

" calum! " i heard y/n yell, i ran as fast as my 7 year old legs would carry me to my neighbors yard.

" i'm here ! " i exclaimed, out of breath, i saw she was ok and smiling. she sat on her deck stairs with two cups and a plate next to her.

" you told me to call for you when mommy made cookies! so i called for you. " she giggled, her dimples were exposed, i couldn't help but smile at my best friend. i walked over and sat next to her, she handed me the cup of milk and then a cookie.

" thank you peaches " she looked back over with a smile.

—

" peaches don't cry " i pulled y/n into my chest holding her as close as i could. her first heartbreak broke her, she had so much hope in him, in people in general. " he doesn't deserve that satisfaction " i placed a kiss on top of her head.

" it hurts cal. " she whimpered out, my heart broke for her. i pulled her away wiping her tears, her glassy eyes looked up at me. she's too young to be hurting like this.

" y/n, there's so many more guys out there and they'll treat you like the princess you are. they'll never let you go, never leave, never hurt you, okay? " she hiccuped and nodded, " you're heart is too beautiful to be hurting peaches. i love you. "

—

" i love you calum " my beautiful girlfriend spoke as her arms wrapped around my waist, hugging me from behind.

" i love you too peaches. " i turned wrapping my arms around her short figure as she looked up at me. she was glowing, looking so genuinely happy and beautiful. " you're so beautiful y/n, wow " my heart swelled up as i looked at her. she tucked her head away and blushed deeply causing me to laugh.

" ew make it stop " ashton whined from our dining room table. both y/n and i looked over at our single friend sitting at our dining room table eating a bowl of cereal.

" they're in love ash, it'll never stop " luke laughed, sitting right next to him, eating cereal as well. ashton let out an aggressive sigh and shook his head.

" you're literally in our house ash, eating our food " y/n pointed out causing everyone to laugh, including herself. i looked down at her, she seemed so happy.

—

i looked back up at luke who was sat next to me. my vision was blurry but i knew the answer to his question. " mhm, i don't think i'll ever not love her. " i nodded, he rubbed my back comforting me. i looked over at the paper and it all came to me.

and write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace

then maybe time would not erase me

if you could only know I never let you go

and the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave

the words fell onto the paper so easily as i finally reminded myself of her beautiful smile. i finished writing the chorus, dropping my pencil looking at the paper.

" i miss her "

—

here i was, outside of the place i left months ago. i looked down at the cd in my hands with the word peaches spread across it. i walked up her steps and just as i was about to place the cd next to her newspapers the door flung open.

" calum " she spoke, my head shot up seeing the girl i walked out on and left two months ago in front of me. that night came flooding back in all its glory.

" stop telling me what i can and can't do y/n! "

" i'm not telling you what you can and can't do i'm trying to help you. not from a girlfriend point of view but from your best friend sense kindergarten point of view! " she yelled back at me. we were both worked up, stressed, and overall we both just needed a hug.

" shut the fuck up! you don't know anything. " i stormed upstairs, and i didn't hear footsteps behind me. i began throwing stuff into my bag, i couldn't do it anymore. i didn't want to anymore. i got back downstairs and she saw my bag. i got a glance at her, her eyes were welled up as she wiped a fallen tear and bit her lip.

" cal.. where are you going " she sounded broken, just how she was years ago.

" i'm leaving. don't call, don't text, just leave me the hell alone. " i reached for the door knob and opened the door.

" what..? where does this, this leave us " i couldn't bare to turn around knowing tears were falling from her eyes. i didn't know how to answer her question because i genuinely had no clue. i just walked out and the door closed behind me.

" y/n " is all i managed to get out.

—

maybe a part two...

[quillsandtypos]

Ski Trip

Summary: when the reader agrees to go on the annual ski trip up to the mountains with her boyfriend, Luke, and her friends she expected to go looking at mountains. But what she ends up doing doesn't require much hiking

Pairings: alive!Luke Patterson x reader

Words: 2.4k

Warnings: THIS IS NSFW FOREPLAY SMUT PEOPLE

If any of you have ever had a conversation with me and you read this fic, no you didn't

...........................................

"What are you two doing tomorrow?" Julie asked you.

You rolled into your stomach and propped your head up in your hands. “I’m not sure, but I know what we're doing next weekend, unfortunately.”

That peaked Julie’s interest, you weren’t usually much of a complainer. “Why unfortunately?” she questioned.

“Because I'm going on the Ski trip with him,” you whined. You wanted to spend time with Luke, you just didn't wanna go on the trip.

“Oh my god, you get to go?” she excitedly asked.

“Not helping,” you commented.

Julie smirked. “Sorry not sorry, I’ve been trying to get you to go for the past two years. And the first year, I couldn’t even go,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, so why would I have gone if you and Flynn weren’t even gonna be there?” you asked. As if on cue, Flynn walked down the stairs.

“Heard you guys were talking about me, all good things I hope?” she spoke as she walked down the stairs.

“Always,” you said, somewhat sarcastically.

She motioned for you to scoot over so she could have some space on the couch.

“So, if we’re done talking about me, did I hear someone say something about the ski trip?” Flynn questioned.

Before you could open your mouth Julie was already telling Flynn about how you were coming on the trip.

“You are?” Flynn squealed.

You tried to not get excited from their joy, but it was impossible; they were contagious.

You shyly smiled. “Yes, I’m going.”

“Yayyy!” Flynn yelled. The girl was practically jumping up and down.

“Oh who are you sharing a room with?” Flynn asked.

“Luke and I are,” you answered.

The girls exchanged a look you knew all too well.

“Shut up!” You covered your face with a pillow.

“We didn’t say anything!” they protested in almost complete unison.

You could feel your cheeks burning up. “Yeah, but you thought it,” you argued.

“Well whether we thought it or said it, you’re sharing a room with your boyyyyyyyfriend,” Flynn sang.

“If you guys start sing teasing me, I will leave,” you threatened.

“Don’t you need us to pick out your outfits?” Julie remembered.

“Oh, shit, yeah.”

“So in other words you have no leverage?” Flynn realized.

“I’m your ride home,” you reminded her.

“Outfits it is, but do not think we will be forgetting about this!” Flynn cried as she walked up to your bedroom.

“Whatever Flynn!” you yelled back.

“She’s right you know,” Julie slyly commented.

You just huffed in response.

The two of them did a very good job at helping maximize your california wardrobe for the mountains. Granted you had to go buy a couple things in advance, but overall, you felt confident that you could bear the cold of the mountains.

“Alright, I think you’ll survive,” Flynn proclaimed.

You closed your suitcase, and surprisingly you didn’t even have to sit on it.

“Thank you guys, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, it was our pleasure, especially since you’re actually coming this year,” Julie said.

You dropped them both back off their houses and they were nice enough to spare you from embarrassing you in the car ride.

...........

You heard someone creeping up behind you as you grabbed your stuff to head to your second class, and as you felt arms wrap around your waist you knew it was Luke.

You turned to face him. “So I was thinking if we get one of the window rooms then we can see the snow when it falls,” he proposed.

Your face lit up. “Wait, it’s gonna snow when we’re up there?” you excitedly asked.

He happily watched your beaming face “I mean that’s what the weather said.”

“Oh my god! I haven’t seen snow since-” you paused, “actually I don’t remember, but it’s been awhile.”

“Well there’s a good chance that’s gonna happen,” he said.

“You know you’re actually required to show up to school for them to allow you to come right?” you teased. Though originally it had been a legitimate concern.

He licked his lips. “I’ve been coming everyday so I could come on this trip,” he defended himself.

“Coming to school and staying in school are two very different things Patterson,” you playfully reminded him.

He leaned in closer and his voice got quieter. “And what’s that?”

You resisted the urge to swallow and pulled away from him. “One is what I’m doing right now, because I need to go to class.”

He pulled his lips tightly before sighing. “You got me there,” he admitted.

“I always do,” you said, as you started walking off. You turned around to see him still standing there, you would be lying if you said it didn’t bring you joy.

“Go to class Luke!” you yelled back at him.

“You got it!” he saluted you and walked the other way.

You playfully rolled your eyes. That boy would be the death of you, but you supposed there were worse ways to go.

That Friday you didn’t have any school since the school board figured it was pointless to send a bunch of kids to school the day before they went on a ski trip. There wasn’t going to be any actual learning anyway. You usually would’ve spent some of the day at Julie’s; which you did, but today it wasn’t in the studio for practice. You figured since she had helped you pack, you could at least keep her company as she packed.

“So who are you sharing a room with?” you asked her, as she sorted through her jeans.

“Me and Flynn just figured we’d share one,” Julie said offhandedly.

You chose to not comment on how she was obviously forcing herself to be casual.

“Ah I see, do you know if Alex and Reg are coming?”

“Yeah, and get this Alex and Willie are sharing a room,” she gossiped.

“I’m calling it right now, they're gonna start dating by the end of the weekend,” you hypothesized.

“I 100% agree.”

The two of you spent the next hour or so just discussing what sort of things you wanted to do while you were there over the weekend, and of course how much Flynn was running around her house frantically changing outfits. You actually were excited about going, not necessarily about the actual trip, and about dealing with certain classmates, but you were looking forward to being with Luke and hanging out with your friends.

For some reason when you woke up the next morning you were a little nervous, you supposed it was because you had never been skiing or snowboarding for that matter.

You got ready pretty minimally considering you were soon to be on a five hour bus ride. None of your family was up yet so when Luke pulled into your driveway you slipped out the door.

“You got everything?” Luke asked.

“Everything except my chill,” you responded with a smile.

“You’re gonna be alright, and you don’t have to do anything there you don’t wanna do, so if you don’t wanna risk a broken leg, then don’t.”

Despite your anxieties, you knew he was still right.

“Thanks Luke.”

“Anything for you.”

When the two of you got to the bus everyone else in your group had already gotten there. You, the rest of the band, Flynn, and Willie had made a plan for the bus.

“We have arrived,” you announced to your friends as you and Luke took your spots.

“And just in time too, people kept trying to take your seats,” Willie reported.

“Thanks for saving them,” Luke responded.

The two of you continued chatting with the rest of your friends until the bus driver instructed everyone to take their seats. The majority of everyone slept on the way up there but you were too anxious to get there to sleep. Instead you watched youtube as Luke napped on your shoulder.

“Luke, Luuuuuuuuuuuke, Luooooooooooooooke,” you spoke. You were trying to wake him up quietly but you were starting to realize that wasn’t going to work.

Luckily Reggie was awake. “Oh he’s a heavy sleeper, that’s not gonna work.”

Reggie basically got himself so he was dangling off both sides of his chair before yelling in his ear.

Luke awakened with a jolt, looking fairly startled.

You weren’t entirely sure whether you should laugh, throw Reggie under the bus, or maybe both.

“What happened?” Luke asked.

“I woke you up,” Reggie answered innocently.

“By yelling in my ear?” Luke groggily questioned.

Reggie quickly tried to backpedal himself out of this situation. “I mean I don’t think the method is relevant, the important thing is that you’re up.”

Luke wasn’t awake enough to deal with the situation at hand. He just chose to lay his head back on your shoulder.

By the time you had made it to the hotel you were ready to collapse. Luke laughed when you flung yourself onto one the beds.

“Should I be worried?” he asked, mostly as a joke.

“No,” you smiled and rubbed your face, “I’m just really tired.”

“You couldn’t sleep on the bus?” he guessed.

“Yeah,” you groaned.

“You know what would help?” he asked.

“Do tell,” you inquired, from your face down position.

“This,” he said, before he jumped on the bed beside you. He curled his warm body around you and pulled you in.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” you responded. You attempted to melt further into him. You laid there in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

“Luke we should probably go do things,” you suggested. You attempted to get up but he pulled you back down.

You stayed with him but you turned around so you were facing him. “Luke?”

“Yes, y/n?”

You bit your lip, you had to admit, it was pretty cute. “Are you going to let me get up?” you asked.

He looked into your eyes lovingly. “Well if you’re trying to leave then no.”

“So that would be a no.”

“Well if you look at it that way then yeah,” he admitted with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Luke come o-” the rest of your sentence didn’t quite make it out. Your smart boyfriend decided to use your weak spot on your back against you.

“You wanna go now?” he teased.

“Not necessarily,” you lazily responded.

You could feel your willpower fading as the light stokes up and down your back sent a calm wave of chills through your body. But you knew if you didn’t use your chance now there was a good chance you weren’t getting out of that bed today.

“Luke come on we gotta go,” you whined. It’s not like you weren’t enjoying yourself, you most definitely were, but your friends had to be wondering where the two of you were.

“Alright, alright, fine,” he gave in.

“Can I have a kiss though?” he sweetly pleaded.

You gladly agreed, but you realized his plan of not leaving the room hadn’t quite ended when the kiss started leading down to your jaw.

“Luke you’re not sly,” you laughed.

“Oh is that so?” he asked, as he moved down to your jawline.

You nodded your head.

“Then why aren’t you moving?” he purred.

Okay, so he maybe had a point.

“You can tell me to stop,” he reminded you. He looked into your eyes for any sign of you wanting him to stop and waited.

“Unless of course, you don’t want me to stop?” he asked, with the biggest smirk you had ever seen on his face.

“Not necessarily,” you said, completely avoiding his eye contact.

He crawled over top of you, “What was that princess?” he asked.

You forced yourself to look into those beautiful blue eyes, and that devilish smile. “No, I don’t want you to stop Luke.”

“That’s what I needed to hear.” He bent his head down at your jawline, this time starting on the side of your jaw bone. He sucked at the skin and you bit your cheek down on a moan. He moved down from your neck pressing harder and making it harder for you to control yourself.

“Luke,” you moaned.

“Yes?”

“No marks.”

He smirked. “It’s a little late for that one.”

You rolled your eyes at his antics. “You suck.”

“I don’t think you're exactly in the position to be saying those sort of things,” he warned.

You raised your eyebrows. As if he thought you would back down that easily. “Really?”

He licked his lips and shrugged.

“Make me,” you insisted.

“Bad choice of words,” he threatened. In a second his shirt was off and one of his arms held your’s down and above you.

This time he noticed when you swallowed. “Nervous?” he asked, his lips quirked up.

He might’ve been starting to get to you, but you weren’t going to admit to it. “You wish Patterson,” you tested.

His head dipped down towards your collarbone. He lightly sucked on it and gradually increased his intensity until your body unwillingly gave you away and you gutturally moaned.

He jutted his chin out, the fire in his eyes on stage was nothing in comparison to this. “What about now?”

“Yes, Luke,” you groaned out.

He somehow managed to pull your shirt off with you laying down, and managed to unhook your bra with minimal difficulties.

His mouth softly sucked on the very top of your nipple.

“Fuck,” you moaned.

As he continued sucking at a rapid rate you felt the knot in your stomach twisting further, just as you thought it was going to release Luke stopped.

“How much do you want it?” he asked as he slowly pulled your pants down.

You were not going to give him the satisfaction of begging.

You felt a finger glide across your clit ever so slightly and back and forth he kept going, ever so slowly.

A whimper escaped your lips.

“Beg for me, that’s all you have to do,” he promised. He was most definitely enjoying himself.

He moved back up to your nipples but instead he moved as slow as he could, he was trying to break you.

“Come on princess, you know you want it,” he taunted.

A sole finger swiped down your pussy and your breath hitched.

“Luke please,” you moaned.

“What please? I think it has something to do with fucking you silly,” he hinted. He once again crawled over top of you to be able to see your face. Like a predator stalking prey.

“Please rail the shit out of me Luke,” you whined.

“That was all you had to say princess.”

[heliads]

Breaking Promises

When Julie has to suddenly drop out of a Julie and the Phantoms performance, the role of lead singer falls to her best friend Y/N, as she’s the only other person who can make the boys visible to the world. When Y/N seems betrayed by this, it falls to Luke to figure out why the girl he’s been crushing on seems so hurt.

masterlist

Luke is bent over his guitar, fingers mindlessly strumming the strings. He’s supposed to be tuning the instrument, he knows that, but every time he tries to set himself up for some small task he can’t help but start trying to figure out another song. It’s like he can find music in everything, and sometimes, the call to come up with another few chord variations is too hard to ignore. Especially now, when he should have finished tuning his guitar ten minutes ago.

Well, it’s not like he has a whole lot to do anyway. The different members of Julie and the Phantoms (minus Julie herself) are strewn about the studio. Reggie is lying on a couch, staring up at the ceiling. Alex, for some reason, is trying to figure out if he can walk all the way around the room without his feet touching the floor once. His gaze is laser-sharp as he focuses, arms held out for balance as he carefully steps from ottoman to couch cushion.

Luke frowns over at him, attention finally broken from the guitar. “You know, walking on the rug does still count as having your feet touch the ground.” Alex holds up a warning finger. “Actually, the rules are that you can’t touch the floor itself. The rug is not the ground, so I’m fine.” Another voice rings out from across the room. “That’s a lie and you know it. Rugs have never been safe.” Alex folds his arms over his chest. “I’ve been playing The Floor is Lava for decades longer than you, Y/N, so I think I’d know.”

Y/N, however, is undaunted by this. “You can’t pull the age thing on me if you’re wrong. The lava would soak through any rug. It’s an obvious fact.” Alex makes a face at her. “I’m still right about this. Luke, back me up.” Luke shakes his head, unable to hide a grin. “Sorry, Alex. Y/N’s right. Rugs are totally out of bounds.” Alex shoots him a sour look. “Somehow I’m not surprised that you’d pick her side.” Luke’s mouth falls open as Reggie bursts out in laughter. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Y/N’s smiling now as well. “It means that he’s still jealous that we’re right. Pay it no attention.” She turns back towards the notebook in her hands, leaving Alex with the opportunity to look meaningfully between her and Luke. Luke shoots him a glare, which just makes Alex’s grin even broader. Sometimes, Luke wishes he wasn’t in a band with such idiots.

Luke’s irritation begins to fade away when he looks back at Y/N. Her hand is strewn across her lap as she studies her scrawled chemistry notes, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the go. It’s strange- Y/N seems like the perfect person for music. She always knows the beat to a song, and she seems to walk, talk, and breathe melodies just like Luke. Even now, when she’s focusing on her homework, she’s still coming up with drum beats on the fly. It’s astonishing.

Yet every time Luke asks Y/N about music, she always changes the subject. It’s never interested her, she claims, or she has always left that to Julie and Flynn, her two best friends. Those excuses don’t make sense, though- Luke’s been to Y/N’s house before and she’s got piles of sheet music stacked up in the corners, and dusty instrument cases hidden in the attic. Y/N has definitely had a history in music, Luke just can’t figure out why she’s hiding it.

Music isn’t the only mystery lingering around Y/N L/N. She isn’t a ghost, yet she can still see Luke, Alex, and Reggie as if they were all lifers. Luke remembers when they first met- Y/N had been Julie’s best friend, and so she had been inevitably dragged over to the studio to hear the boys perform and prove that Julie wasn’t crazy, just like what happened to Flynn. Unlike Flynn, however, Y/N’s eyes had caught on the boys from the second she walked through the door, even before they had started playing music.

She had greeted them with no problem, and then her easygoing smile had started to fade when she saw the looks of utter confusion on Luke and his friends. A wave of troubled realization crested over her eyes when Julie explained that they were ghosts, as if she knew exactly why she could suddenly see them. Julie had been confused as well, and then she had turned to Y/N with a look of thunderstruck understanding. 

“You can see them because of-” Her voice had cut off and Y/N had nodded quietly. “Yes.” The girls hadn’t said anything more, but Luke can still see the silent sadness that wrapped around both Y/N and Julie before they hurriedly changed conversations. They were clearly hiding something, but Luke doesn’t know what it could possibly be. They haven’t brought it up again, and they seem keen on hiding any possible reasons as to why Y/N has no problems seeing ghosts.

After a couple of minutes, Julie bursts through the door of the studio, out of breath from running to them. She stands in the doorway for a second, looking distinctly panicked. “You guys remember the gig we have planned in a couple of days?” Luke nods, along with the rest of his band. How could he not? It’s a fairly big show, at a premier jazz club. It’s no Orpheum, but it’ll give them some excellent street cred that the band could use to get even bigger.

Julie closes the studio doors behind her, and walks over to the assembled band. “We have a problem.” Y/N’s forehead creases, and she starts to rise out of her chair. “Here, I’ll let you guys talk this over in private.” Yet Julie shakes her head, gesturing for Y/N to sit back down. “Actually, I’m afraid you have to be here for this.” Y/N sits back down, looking troubled. Luke can’t blame her- Julie’s gaze keeps flickering over to her friend with a distinctly guilty expression.

Julie steeples her fingers in front of her. “Something came up with my family and I can’t make it to the show. I know the performance is a big deal, but I can’t miss this thing with my family. The only problem is that the jazz club has a strict policy on band cancellations, and we’ve already missed the window for backing out. We have to perform, but there’s no way I can make it in time.” Luke’s gaze falls. How are they supposed to play if they don’t have Julie? Without her, nobody will be able to see them.

Julie squares her shoulders, as if readying herself for a hardship. “We have to have someone performing with the boys so they can be seen and the club won’t think we’re backing out on them. I’m sorry, Y/N, but it has to be you.” Instantly, Y/N’s gaze drops. “What are you talking about?” Julie holds up her hands as if to defend herself from an attack. “I know how it sounds, but hear me out. You have an incredible voice, and you already know the boys better than anybody else.”

Luke looks over at Y/N, and is surprised to see that she looks distinctly unhappy. Angry, even. Reggie, on the other hand, does not seem to have picked this up. He beams over at her. “Y/N, I didn’t know you could sing! This is going to be so good!” Y/N glares over at Julie. “Judging by the fact that the boys don’t know about this, I’m assuming that this was all your idea. You want me to sing in a band in front of a large audience? Why not ask Flynn, or even Carrie? She would be better for this.”

Julie winces. “I know how you feel, but it’s our only option. The boys have to perform with someone who can see them so they can be visible to the audience. It has to be you.” If looks could kill, Julie would be as dead as Luke. Y/N’s voice is slow and cold. “You know what this means to me. You know exactly what this means to me, and you’re still asking me to do this. I can’t believe you.”

Julie starts to speak again, but Y/N holds up a hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it. After all, the future of this band is far more important than any of your friends, isn’t it? I know the songs, I’ll be ready. That’s what you really care about.” Y/N stands up, looking down at Julie with an expression of utter loathing. “When you didn’t want to make music because of your mom, I was there. I understood. But the rules only apply to you, don’t they? I will never forgive you for this.” With that, she walks swiftly out of the study, muttering something about needing to be alone.

Luke looks from the slamming door to Julie. “What was that about?” Julie looks sick to her stomach. “I never should have asked her to do this. She’s right, it was a bad idea.” Alex shakes his head, confused. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with Y/N having to perform?” Julie just sighs. “It’s personal. If she doesn’t tell you, I don’t think I should either. I’ve already upset her too much.”

Luke gets up slowly. “I’m going to go talk to her.” Before Julie can say a word to stop him, Luke is already poofing out of the studio. He can see Y/N’s figure disappearing around one corner, then two. He follows her slowly, and feels a dull surprise creep over him when he realizes that she is heading towards the cemetery. What could possibly be waiting for her there?

Something in the back of Luke’s head is telling him that this is too personal, and he’s about to witness a scene that was not meant for his own eyes to see. Something else tells him that Luke needs to see this to understand Y/N, and to learn how to fix whatever problem has just split her friendship with Julie down the middle. So, Luke continues to shadow Y/N’s footsteps, always just behind a tree or out of sight when she looks back. He has a feeling that if he is sighted or makes a sound, Y/N will back down from whatever she is about to do.

Eventually Y/N stops moving, and kneels beside a gravestone. It seems fairly recent, not chipped away and eroded like the others. Luke peers closer at the stone and realizes that it’s inscribed with a girl’s name, and the last name is L/N. Also, the death date occurred about a year ago. All of a sudden, Luke realizes who Y/N is visiting. Could this be her sister, a sister that died? Is that why she’s so upset?

Luke’s thoughts stop churning for a second when he realizes that Y/N is speaking quietly to the stone. “Hi. It’s me again. I just had to come here because-” Her voice drops off and she takes a second to collect herself before she begins speaking once more. “I need to apologize. You know that band I’ve talked about before? The one that’s made up of my friends? Well, they have this performance coming up in a few days, and they need me to sing with them because they’re ghosts and I’m one of the only people who can see them. I know how it sounds and everything, but I have no choice-”

Y/N’s eyes widen and she stops speaking. There, standing a few inches in front of her, is a girl. She looks only a couple of years older than Y/N, and even without the inscription on the headstone Luke can tell that this is Y/N’s sister. He can see it in her eyes, the shape of her face. However, unlike Y/N, this girl has a distinctive scowl that never seems to leave her expression, not even for a second. Y/N seems startled at the sight of her sister. “You’re here? I thought-”

Y/N’s sister cuts her off. “What, you thought I wouldn’t be here and so you’d feel okay with pretending everything is fine? We had a promise, don’t you remember? If I have to die and never play music again, you have to uphold the bargain. That’s how it works.” The girl starts walking forward, and Y/N scrambles backwards out of her way. “It wasn’t my choice- I didn’t want to- I have to be there! I tried to argue but there’s no way out of it.” The girl clicks her tongue in disappointment. “I hoped that you would try a little harder. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping my memory? Well, I can think of another way to keep the promise.”

Luke’s head snaps up as he realizes what the girl is about to do. Just before the sister’s arm reaches Y/N, he has poofed into existence in between them, stopping the blow just before it lands. Y/N stares at him. “Luke? Where did you come from?” Luke flashes her an apologetic smile. “I was trying to find you so I could figure out why you were so upset. I think I get it now, though.” Y/N’s sister huffs an irritated sigh. “Look at you, a friend to the rescue. This doesn’t concern you. The promise is between us.”

Luke shakes his head. “You don’t get to hurt her. Not like this, not in the promise. I want you to leave her alone. Only come back when you’re ready to apologize or treat her better.” Y/N’s sister scoffs. “And why would I do that?” Luke’s gaze grows steely. “Because I have friends who can make you. Have you ever heard of Caleb Covington? He knows me, and if I needed something I know he’d show up.” Y/N’s sister’s gaze falters. “You’re in touch with Caleb?” Luke nods. “I take it you know him?”

The girl looks terrified. “Any ghost who’s anybody knows about Caleb.” Her gaze cuts over to Y/N. “I’ll stop, I swear it. Sing with them. I don’t care. Just don’t set Caleb on my trail.” Luke squares his shoulders. “I won’t unless I have to.” Y/N’s sister fixes him with one last look, then poofs out again, leaving Luke and Y/N alone. Luke offers Y/N a hand, which she takes. She’s shaking slightly, which twists Luke’s heart like a knife. She glances over at him, confused.

“Wait, why did you bring up Caleb? I thought he hated you guys. You talked about him like he was a friend.” Luke spread his hands. “She doesn’t have to know that. I mean, all I really said is that Caleb knows who I am, and he does.” Y/N laughs incredulously. “You were bluffing that whole time? Even I believed you.” The two of them walk out of the cemetery, and only after they’re out on the sunlit sidewalk does Luke finally turn to Y/N once more.

“Was your sister the reason you didn’t want to perform with us at the club?” Y/N sighs. “Yes. We were closer than anything, and we had a little gig going as a joint act. We sang and wrote music together. We had plans of being this great band, and then she died one night in an accident.” Y/N stifles a broken laugh. “When I saw her again, I thought I was hallucinating. Then she broke my window and I realized she was actually there, albeit in ghost form. She made me promise that I would never perform again, because it wouldn’t be fair to her memory. Some part of me knew it wasn’t right, but I was afraid of her, I guess.”

Luke sees the doubt beginning to creep back onto Y/N’s face, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “It wasn’t right at all. That promise wasn’t something she could ask of you. That’s not dedication to music, that’s just her controlling her. A real musician would want you to move on and grow. I mean, we all hate Bobby because he stole our songs, not because he kept performing. I mean, I’m proud of him for doing so well, even though he tried to write us out of history. The issue isn’t with you singing, I promise.”

Y/N looks up at him, and Luke feels lost in her gaze. “Thank you for having my back. I know I shouldn’t have blown up at Julie, but I was so upset that she would make me perform that I guess I just lost it.” Luke frowns. “Julie knew about the promise?” Y/N nods. “I dropped out of music class and she wanted to know why. I told her that my sister had died and she didn’t want me to perform anymore, but not about the ghost stuff. Obviously.” A slight smile begins to creep onto her face. “Honestly, I’m excited about performing. I haven’t sung in front of people in a long time.”

Luke returns her smile. “I’m excited to hear you. To be honest, I’ve been hoping to hear you perform for a while.” Y/N’s brow furrows. “You knew I did music?” Luke shrugs. “I knew music was important to you so I took a guess. I know you’ll be amazing.” Y/N laughs. “How do you know that?” Luke leans down to press a kiss to her cheek. “I just have a feeling.”

[erenthegreywolf]

Major JatP Spoilers (and really long)

I just fucking watched Julie and the Phantoms for the first time finally after just seeing memes/fanfics/posts and the entire soundtrack for it and I'm

I can't believe that show exists like it is so unbelievable how good it is I WILL go into detail rn -

So ofc I can't remember everything that happened, I was busy holding back tears, shouting fuck you at the tv, singing, and quoting fucking everything

and I mean I did happily yell gay when Willex appeared I love them (and when Reggie and Luke did anything I mean cmon) but I DID start up the show again to go through as I write this

the dahlias were a beautiful addition to the sets and I- THE RANDOM LADY gives Julie one when she's crying for her mom in the Orpheum alley??? PLEASE THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL

getting ahead of myself and very out of order ok ok BUT having all the context for the show really gives me a new perspective like

everyone is hurting so much and I could only fully grasp it now after seeing it and I mean 9 episodes did A LOT

everyone has noticed it before but Luke's missing person poster literally behind him as they eat the hot dogs is like?? the set designers were ON TOP OF IT and I love this little detail so much makes me freak every time because the attention to even the SMALLEST detail and it gave us some insight into Luke if we noticed

and do NOT get me started on the fucking ACTING everyone is so good at all of it, like how Madison portrayed Julie being just broken over her mom and Charlie going from loud to insanely soft and quiet as he says "I am… so sorry" and Jeremy being good ol' happy Reggie until the FUCKING "You guys are the only family I have" LINE and the Willex interactions are amazing Owen and Booboo were great together I could go on huyvyibh

THEN THE CALEB FORESHADOW??? AND IT GETS BRIGHTER AS JULIE SINGS WAKE UP????? and it is so fun that some of the episodes just pick up right where the last one left off

And the show outright saying yes, Alex is gay was so mindblowing to me like I don't think I have EVER seen a show do that (but I could be living under a rock) and when the boys tell Julie to give Luke a chance and they watch him as he watches his PARENTS on his BIRTHDAY it was so fucking painful and then THEN Unsaid Emily.

But first, when Julie asks "Who's Emily?" thinking she's someone Luke liked and Luke is so panicked to change the subject he can't even talk about her, how he cut Alex off when he went to explain I gycuvyv

And how they all react to seeing Bobby again and learning he stole all their songs like they are so angry and hurt by this and I understand fully why they want revenge when music is literally EVERYTHING to Luke

but like what it could be like for Bobby? he goes to a therapist still so he might not be over losing his boys still and just him completely taken aback that they're back? he can SEE them and they're playing music with what is basically his niece? how he's shaking after the Orpheum because he has actually seen his boys again after YEARS of them gone? now I understand why they're mad at him but it could have been Bobby's way of coping with losing all of his band and quite possibly the closest friends/family he has ever had

it hurt when they would jump to the boys at the club and then back to Julie alone at the dance, and when they did show up and found her just devastated that they left her hanging hurts SO MUCH worse, like she completely thought they'd show and they didn't and she said it was a MISTAKE god I cant

and now I'm circling back, having the context for Unsaid Emily is both amazingly beautiful and devastatingly soul crushing, all Luke EVER wanted was to connect with people through his music and show his parents that he COULD and CAN make it and PLEASE the music for this show was fucking amazing

and I am foaming at the mouth over Julie giving the Pattersons Unsaid Emily and Luke having to step out but INSTRUMENTAL UNSAID EMILY IN THE BACKGROUND I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS NOT IN TEARS BAWLING AND SCREAMING

Ok and how the love triangle wasn't forced like Nick knows and STATES that he missed his chance, there was no who does Julie want? nO it was always gonna be Luke (but I respectfully turn my eyes away tho i can appreciate more Juke now)

and the ENTIRE scene when Flynn finds the Sunset Curve shirt and talks about Rose sending the boys to Julie was so good

WILLEX HUG WAS SO PAINFUL AND WONDERFUL like Alex hesitates but then just does and Willie is surprised but then just hugs him tighter in return AND THEN ALEX SAYING HE'S OK???

but I loved Luke saying "Alex, no dancing" and Alex fucking dancing and AND JATP OPENING FOR P!ATD IBIYVBb and the entire scene of them waiting for and getting the call from the Orpheum was gold, just mwah mwah mwAH

AND STAND TALL WITH CONTEXT TOO??? i am so heartbroken and destroyed but utterly ALIVE over Stand Tall and really any of the fuckin songs from the soundtrack but Stand Tall, she thought the boys were gone but then they come back to her and i-

and the GARAGE SCENE PLEASE the boys crying and she literally TELLS THEM TO KEEP EXISTING and THEN "No music is worth making, Julie, if we're not making it with you" I CAN NOT WITH THIS HEARTBREAK NO REGRETS

but oh my GOD THE HUG and REGGIE'S SINGLE TEAR AND THEN LUKE LIKE "I think the band's back" fuck shit god DAMMIT I LIKE THIS TOO REGGIE

And sure, I will say that some characters annoyed me, like Tia Victoria and Carrie i mean i didn't like them but I understand them I guess?

Tia just kinda made me mad since they had to remove the plate from the extra chair for Rose from her and I-

And Carrie was just so mean to Julie it annoyed me mostly but Savannah played her really well like how she reacted when Julie went on the play Finally Free and how she STOOD UP IN AWE at Stand Tall jfebvibf

and yes yes I freaked tf out over the chemistry moment and when Alex danced with Dirty Candy or any of the Ray&Reggie moments or just Ray on screen in general (them distracting him by asking him about his CAMERA?? jhvyughbhu)

-

But in all, Julie and the Phantoms was such an amazing show. Kenny Ortega and Paul Becker and literally EVERYONE on staff did a wonderful job with this show. It has helped millions of people through different problems and gave joy back to those who might have needed it. JatP was literally gold and I don't think anything will be able to even come CLOSE to matching it for a long time, if not ever. That may be a bold statement, but the show was canceled and we're all still here, hoping and waiting for this beautiful masterpiece to come back.

I hate that JatP was canceled and I'm so utterly destroyed that these boys, Ray, Julie, Carlos, and everyone else might never come back. But what I can say is that I got to watch this little piece of Heaven and I am so glad I did. I ranted and I raved about all the little things I liked in this, and I definitely didn't point out everything I liked, but this post summed it up pretty well I think.

I don't think I will ever feel this strongly for something ever again. After seeing so much content for JatP and finally seeing it after months of wanting to, the hype and how I thought I would see this show lived up to the real thing.

Really, I don't know how to end this and I've gone from fuckin rambling nonsense to writing an essay?? have fun reading this? just get me out bye

[missmitchieg]

Hey, Don't Die

It started out as a joke.

It was always supposed to be a joke.

The boys weren't supposed to die on him. But he forgot to say it. It wasn't his fault! He got distracted by the pretty girl in front of him and their favorite little inside joke just slipped his mind. So he didn't say it, and now the boys were gone.

Or maybe it was his fault they were gone. Sure, maybe it was a coincidence that every time he did say it, they didn't die on him and the one time he didn't say it, they went and died. Or maybe it was some weird fortune or good luck charm.

Whatever it was, Bobby didn't think he would ever be able to escape that positively heart wrenching, soul crushing guilt of how he should have said it, or how he should have been there to run and call for an ambulance.

The first time he said it was to Luke. It was a joke. It was funny. Luke made a comment at the end of the day that he was going to his parents' house to sleep because his bed didn't give him that neck crick that his couch did.

With a laugh, Bobby patted Luke's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "Alright. Don't die out there, though."

Luke cackled at that and shook his head, giving him a half hug. "I'll try, buddy. Love you."

"I love you, too."

They kept that joke going for a couple of weeks.

The next one he made the joke to was Alex. It was still a joke. It was still funny. Alex was just going to make a quick pizza run and come back.

"Be quick. Don't die." Bobby told him.

Alex smiled and ruffled Bobby's hair the way he knew he hated, waving as he walked out. "I won't, bro."

"You better not. Love you."

"Love you."

Then came Reggie. It was still a joke. It was still funny. They were on a 'friend date', as Reggie called it, to the aquarium. Bobby, Luke and Alex all wanted to watch the great whites in the shark tunnel, but Reggie wanted to go look at the jellyfish in the opposite direction of the sharks.

"Alright. We'll meet back up by the clown fish, then. Don't die alone in there." Bobby smiled and patted Reggie's cheek.

"I won't, Bobins." Reggie chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, giving his best friend a sweet smile. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

It had sort of become their thing after a while. One or two or all of them would go off somewhere without 'their Bobble' and Bobby would always, always tell them, whether it was with a smile or a faux serious look on his face. "Don't die."

Then came that day. July twenty second, nineteen ninety five. Bobby had been distracted by a very pretty girl with curly hair and sparkly eyes and had just forgotten to tell his boys his usual comment of "Hey. Don't die out there. I love you.", so he hadn't said it. And then he got a call. A call to tell him that his band, his best friends, his boys, were gone forever.

He was horrified when he realized what had happened.

What he didn't say.

What he didn't do.

He had broken down about it to his parents, who promptly suggested that he go to therapy about it. Something about how it wasn't healthy to think this way and he did nothing wrong and he couldn't have known what would happen and he needed to talk to someone about it. So he did. He went and he talked about the boys and how it hurt that they were gone and they were never coming back. But he never told his therapist about their thing, about what he would say to them when they left his sight.

He had also managed to become a rock star by means of some sleazy contract he hadn't been given the chance to read properly giving ownership of Luke's music to some company and Bobby had been forced to record the songs and pass them off as his own and keep the true writer a secret.

It was fine. Luke was gone. He wasn't ever going to find out what the contract had roped Bobby into. So he did it. Just not without a few breakdowns in between song recordings and e-mails to his therapist about emergency sessions. But it was fine.

So he went on like that, taking his boys' music and recording it in between breakdowns and therapy sessions and becoming a mega famous rock star, just like he had managed to convince himself his boys would want him to.

He grew up and had a kid. A little girl named Carrie, who was his absolute little pride and joy. A little girl who was never going to live in a garage, or eat out of the back of a beat up car, or get food poisoning, or anything that could harm her. She was going to have only the best health care and knowledge he could buy and teach her and she wasn't going to die.

The first time he had told her the thing, she was a little toddler, going to day care for the first time. She had been excited to go to day care and meet new friends to play with and he had been a wreck thinking of all the things that could happen if he didn't remember to tell her. So he made a mental note to not forget before he walked out the door to go to work.

He had walked inside with a little curly haired toddler on his hip and, with a smile, said to his little girl: "Carrie, love, daddy's gonna go to work now. You're gonna stay here a while and I'll pick you up when I'm done working. I love you. Don't die here."

Carrie had giggled at that and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Love you, daddy!" She said before he let her down and she ran off to bang on a brightly colored toy drum.

Bobby winced as he felt his heart clench in his chest at the sight of his little girl playing a drum, just like his old best friend. He bit his lip as he clenched and unclenched his fists and walked out to the car to go to the studio, where he would try and write a song as good as Luke's old music again.

No matter how hard he tried to channel the guitarist, he just couldn't. He couldn't write like Luke, because he wasn't Luke. And Luke wasn't there to help him. Wasn't there to chuckle and suggest a clever slant rhyme, or a metaphor that would work, or a cool melody that sounded like something Luke would write, but also that Bobby, no, that Trevor could play in his sleep.

He groaned in frustration as he and his team of four other writers just couldn't come to an agreement about which rhyme scheme to use for this song, and kept glancing at the clock until it was the time to go and pick up his baby from day care.

He walked inside and looked around for Carrie, hoping, praying that saying the thing worked, that he hadn't lost his little girl like he lost his boys. "Care-bear? Baby?"

"Daddy!" Carrie giggled and got up from where she was sitting on the floor watching a little curly haired girl slam her fingers against toy piano keys, running up to him. "Hi, daddy!"

Oh, thank God. "Carrie, there you are! My little girl! Oh!" He cooed as he scooped her up into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest, pressing kisses to the top of her tiny, giggling head.

"Aww!"

"That's so sweet."

"Oh, what a good daddy!"

Trevor looked up and chuckled, shaking his head. "I just love my little girl so much. Come on, baby. Let's go home. We're having that yummy pasta you like for dinner."

"Yay!"

After that, saying the thing became his and Carrie's thing, just like it was his and his boys' thing. He would drop Carrie off somewhere or Carrie would be on her way to the bus stop to go to school, and Trevor would send her off with an "I love you. Don't die.", and his daughter would smile and salute.

"Daddy, I'm going to my friend, Julie's!"

"Ok! Have fun and don't die! Love you!"

"Dad, I'm going to school!"

"Don't die at school! Love you!"

"Dad, can I go to Flynn and Julie's sleepover on Saturday?"

"Sure, just don't die."

And they went on like that for years.

Carrie always thought it was 'just one of dad's funny quirks'. An 'overprotective dad' thing. Sort of like Marlin from that cute kids movie, Finding Nemo. Carrie would go somewhere without him for a period of time, and Trevor would worry endlessly until she came back, completely unharmed. Then came the hugs and kisses and comments of "There's my favorite girl!" from him.

Little did she know just how much her father was suffering. Little did she know just how worried he was when she would leave, how relieved he was when it sank in that she was fine, that it had worked again, just like it always did.

So sure, maybe it wasn't necessarily 'normal' to say that every time his daughter was out of his sight for any amount of time. Maybe he was still a little traumatized. Maybe he should bring it up to his therapist. But he was fine. He was fine, as long as she was fine.

He ended up admitting it to his therapist mid-session. "So I do this thing with my daughter." He started. "Whenever she goes somewhere without me, I always tell her, 'don't die, I love you'. It's-" He coughed and cleared his throat taking a sip of water to will the sudden lump in his throat away. "It's... Something I used to say to my friends before they died."

Dr. Born nodded and wrote something down quickly, gesturing for him to go on.

"I always tell her. I never forget to. Because the one time I did forget... Well." Trevor made a kind of 'you know, I just told you' gesture and shifted, pushing his hair out of his eyes like his Reggie used to.

"I see."

"I guess I think... If I don't tell her, something will happen. Something will hurt her, a-and she'll disappear like my boys did."

"That sounds quite stressful." Dr. Born had said, in his non judgemental, caring therapist voice.

"It is." Trevor admitted, a familiar anxiety bubbling up in his chest. "Because what if I forget one day? What if I forget one day-"

"Trevor." Dr. Born said, sensing an unhelpful anxiety spiral coming on.

"-and Carrie gets hurt? What if I forget to say it to her just one time and-"

"Trevor."

"that's the last time I ever see my little girl, just because I forgot to tell her not to die-"

"Trevor!"

Trevor winced at that and stopped fidgeting with the toy Dr. Born had advised him to buy for his anxiety years ago now, looking up at him. "Sorry."

"Clearly, you were very affected by the death of your dear friends." Dr. Born noted. "But, why didn't you mention saying that to your friends or your daughter before?"

Trevor frowned at the question and looked down, wringing his hands. "I... Don't know. I guess that part hurt too much to talk about, or think about." He said with a tilt of his head.

Dr. Horn hummed at that and nodded his understanding, taking another note.

"My parents told me to go to therapy to talk about losing the boys, and how much that was affecting me." Trevor started. "I didn't have the capacity, I guess, to talk about that, so I stuck to the boys."

Dr. Horn nodded again, still giving him the most understanding, non judgemental look.

"And I-I guess I just convinced myself telling Carrie that was normal. That worrying if I didn't tell her that, I would end up losing her like my boys, was normal." Trevor continued. "That saying it or not saying it was sort of like a telling of what was to come. Because until now, it has been." He explained. "Because every time I said it, the boys lived. The one time I didn't, they ended up in an ambulance. Every time I say it to Carrie, she comes home safe. What if it happens again?"

Dr. Horn nodded again and hummed, looking for the best way to reply to Trevor. "I won't lie and say that's a normal train of thought, or necessarily true."

Trevor sighed but nodded. "Fair enough."

"But I also know it would negatively affect you to just stop saying it cold turkey."

Trevor nodded again.

"I think, whenever you decide you're ready, and you don't have to be ready the exact next time that Carrie goes somewhere, you should try texting it to her when she's already out the door. And eventually stop saying it altogether."

Trevor considered the thought and nodded slowly, wringing the toy in his hands. "I- Should I tell my daughter what I'm doing? It might be weird for her to be so used to hearing that every time she leaves to suddenly not hearing it."

"Oh, good thinking. I think you should tell her. Though, I'll warn you, she might ask about why you're suddenly cutting out a tradition between the two of you."

Trevor nodded, scratching his neck. "What will she think of me when I tell her about it?"

"You'll never know until you tell her."

So he did. Six months after the fact. He sat Carrie down and explained to her that their 'fun dad joke' was going to change a little soon. He explained why he would always say it and about the boys. He explained that it was going to stop.

Carrie sat and listened intently as she processed what her father was telling her, giving him the tightest hug she ever had after he had finished, both of them in tears. She couldn't believe that her father had just been living with that pain for years, and mentally preparing himself for it to stop for months. Knowing all of this, Carrie Wilson was the most confident she had ever been that her father was the strongest man she ever knew.

So she walked out one day, just to get some fro-yo with the girls, and waited for a text from her father when she didn't hear their thing said out loud. It came when she was two steps out the door.

The next time came just the next day, when Carrie was on her way to school. Carrie didn't hear it out loud, so she waited for a text. It came five steps out the door.

The next time came when Carrie had a performance that Trevor couldn't be at. It was in the same direction as the studio, so he drove her to the venue, and Carrie felt a sad smile stretch onto her face as she heard him say, "I love you. Don't die."

Two weeks later, Carrie was going to a sleepover at Julie's for the first time in a long time. She smiled as this time, she made it all the way to the car before she got a text saying their thing.

Almost a month later, Carrie grinned as she walked out to go to school and didn't hear it, and never got a text. She came home that day, no feeling of sickness coming on or bruise in sight. She was fine.

And he was fine, too.

[vanillann]

you’re joking, right? (luke patterson x reader)

thank you for the request my love!!

word count: 1.8k

warning: minor angst but nothing major 

“As soon as Flynn gets here the meeting will start.”

I nodded to Julie’s words, falling back onto the couch with one leg in the air as I fell back.

“I can’t wait to see if she can see us now!” Reggie bounced on his heels, the whole incident after the Orpheum changing things like how often I could see the boys and even changing the fact Julie and I could now touch them.

“I have to say, it’ll be interesting to see,” Alex nodded, taking the seat close to me and nudging my foot. I looked up from my phone, turning to my side to see Luke looking down at me.

“Wanna make room?”

“Why would I do that?” I looked up at him, smiling when he sighed, looking back to my hand.

“I’ll lay on you,” Luke spoke, trying his best to sound serious.

“He’ll only saying that to be close to you,” Julie spoke up from the piano, which earned very agreeing words from the other two ghosts in the room.

“And so what?” Luke responded, giving up by picking my feet up and making his own space. He placed my feet in his lap, holding them down so there wasn’t a chance I would move.

“I already told you, Luke, you’re a ghost,” I muttered, doing my best to not give away the little pang in my chest at the fact.

“Oh don’t worry,” Luke looked over to me, winking while looking back in front of him.

“I’ll win you over, eventually.”

I rolled my eyes, pulling my feet from his grip and sitting up properly. Not a single word was spoken, each person trying to brush off the weird tension the room had grown.

“Morning!”

Flynn's voice sounded from the driveway, all thoughts of Luke’s comment gone as we waited for the truth about the boys visibly.

⁂

“I can’t believe I can see them now!”

Flynn was practically bubbling at the fact she could see the boys, almost running into someone as she walked backward throughout the mall.

“I don’t know how, but I’m glad something good came from this Caleb thing.”

Julie nodded, grabbing Flynn's shoulders and moving her before she rammed into someone. Flynn didn’t pay any mind to it, still going on and on about how she could see them.

“Now I can finally see what Julie talks about with Luke pinning glares to you,” Flynn wiggled her eyebrows, spotting the H&M in the corner of her eye and doing a 360.

“It’s just a joke.”

Julie let out a sarcastic laugh, looking at the side of my face with an offended glare.

“A joke? You can’t be that oblivious,” Julie spoke, following Flynn into the store while holding the door open for me.

“You know Luke, he’d cocky and thinks it funny,” I tried my best to not let the little joke get to me but it wasn’t exactly easy. I mean, hot ghost boys were complicated enough but liking one added more than just a cherry on top.

It added syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream.

“You heard him in the studio-” Julie coughed, jokily buffing out her shoulders and dropping her voice down.

“I’ll win you over, eventually,” she did the best Luke impression she could muster, causing a laugh to boil out my mouth.

“It’s Luke, he likes things he can’t have.”

Julie let her shoulders drop, giving a sympathetic smile as she grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer to her.

“He likes you, I know that much.”

I let the comment roll over my shoulder, doing my best to not think about the ghost in question but it wasn’t easy. He was making this so complicated without knowing.

Why couldn’t he like another ghost, like Alex?

“Glitter!”

I laughed as Flynn almost knocked a whole display over as she saw the glittery shoes that were on the back wall of the store.

⁂

“Ah!”

Julie’s yelp made my body jump, looking over my shoulder at Alex who gave his best sympathies for the jump scare.

“I expect it from Luke, but you Alex?”

He shrugged, standing in-between Julie and me as we both turned to each other to make it seem less weird if we were talking to nobody.

“Why can’t anyone see us?”

“It might only be people that know about you,” I shrugged, it wasn’t the craziest idea and it wouldn’t shock me if that was the thing blocking the afterlife and current life.

Alex nodded, looking between Julie and me while we waited for him to tell us whatever he felt the need to scare us for.

“Need something?” Julie looked up at Alex, shaking her head we waited.

“Oh, well I remembered you had a study hall and I had to get away from Luke.”

I nodded, Julie, waiting still for Alex to continue.

“Luke will not shut up about (Y/N),” he whipped his head around, looking at me with raised eyebrows and a thin lip nod.

“Ah, makes sense,” Julie, nodded at me. I rolled my eyes at the two, turning back to my locker to pull out my English textbook and a few pencils.

“I’m serious, he wanted me to ask you if he knew his middle name! Why do I have to do that?”

I rolled my eyes, doing my best to conceal the smile that was threatening to break across my face at the thought of a confused Luke begging Alex to ask me.

“Well (Y/N) refused to acknowledge Luke likes ‘em,” Julie muttered, I could feel her eyes on my back. I didn’t dare turn around, the bell about to ring as we made our way to the courtyard to get some studying done and fewer eyes to watch us talking to the air.

“You can’t be serious!”

Alex was a calm person, probably the calmest out of the three, but when he got worked up his voice jumped octaves and he’d fling his hands around. I was scared now, to say the least, because we could touch, which meant he could smack me with his wild hand gestures.

“He has like a million songs about, he only writes songs for people he cares about,” Alex tried to block me from walking but I easily ducked under his arm.

“Is that why he wrote “My name is Luke”?”

Julie let out a loud laugh, luckily nobody was around to question the action. Alex didn’t say anything as we continue down the hall, just little broken phrases. As I was about to open the door to the courtyard, my hand landed on something solid.

I let out a scream, backing away as Reggie fell into the door with flushed cheeks.

“Sorry (Y/N)!”

“It’s fine Reg,” I did my best to calm my racing heart, just happy I didn’t have to deal with a stranger or worse Luke.

“Sorry I had to get away from Luke, he was talking about which beanie you smiled at him in,” Reggie nodded, looking between the three of us with an awkward smile.

“Was it the orange once?” Reggie nodded, understanding my words easily. I could feel Alex pointing rapidly at the back of my head.

“What? It’s a nice color,” I shrugged, moving around Reggie to our normal seat outside.

⁂

“Please (Y/N),” Luke gave his best puppy dog eyes as I sat in one of the chairs around the studio, waiting for everyone else to come back from the snack to hang out around the room with some music involved.

“Luke,” my tone warning, finally growing tired at this game. 

I couldn’t take it much longer, this stupid crush was growing more and more every time Luke said something flirty or even touched me.

“(Y/N),” he spoke my name in a sing-songy voice, giving a little smile as he mistook my anger for something else.

“Stop! I can’t take this anymore, stop it!”

I snapped, my voice bouncing off the beams of the studio roughly.

“Wow,” Luke held his hands up, backing away from me slightly. He looked hurt, but I couldn’t let that get to me if I wanted to make my point.

“Stop chasing me, it hurts Luke.”

He slowly let his hands fall to his side, studying my face as I waited for a witty comment that I would yell about and ruin everything.

“Hurt? I didn’t mean to hurt you,” his voice was soft, apologetic as his hand went to reach for mine before I pulled it back.

“Yes Luke, hurt. I can’t even look at another guy because your little joke went too far.”

I pulled my arm back as he tried to reach for it, looking to the floor of the studio. Where were the rest of the group? I needed an out of this conversation.

“Joke?”

“Yes, this little “I like you” joke,” I could feel my eyes grow heavy as I waited for his apology, that he didn’t mean for this to go so far.

“Look, I know I’m funny but this wasn’t a joke.”

I wanted to laugh my head off, we were arguing and he still found a way to compliment himself.

“You can drop it, Luke, it’s fine but-”

“I can’t just drop my feelings!”

Luke was yelling down, the fire I once had was now fulling inside of Luke as his eyes searched my face.

“Luke,” as soon as I said his name he took off to the other side of the studio, picking up his songbook and flipping throughout pages.

“Skin against skin, mind against mind, I can’t believe I fell this time.”

I rolled my eyes at his antics, him flipping to a different page letting his finger run down the page.

“Give me your heart, it’ll be safe in my hands,” I slowly started walking to Luke shaking my head. I reached out to grab the book but he moved away, jumping on the couch and finding another page.

“If only you knew the warmth you bought to my broken soul.”

“Luke!”

“(Y/N)!”

I could feel hot tears streaming down my face, looking up at him with a pout on my lips.

“I’m not joking, every word I’ve said is true,” he slowly stepped off the couch, looking into my eyes with sincerity. I could feel my arms slowly uncrossing as I watched him closely.

Luke wouldn’t have let a joke go on if he knew it was hurting me.

He meant it.

“Swear on a street dog?”

“I swear on every street dog,” he reached out, grabbing my arm gently to wrap his hand in mine.

“Okay, you won.”

“I won?”

“You said you’d win my over eventually, well you won,” I spoke gently still looking deep into his eyes. A puppy dog smile graced his lips, pulling me slightly closer to him.

“That’s going to make an excellent song.”

I let myself laugh, smiling down at my feet. I could hear the door to the studio open, ignoring the stares on my back as I let myself bask in the joy I felt.

“Great! He’s going to talk about em more,” Alex let out an exhausted breathe. I turned around, dropping Luke’s hand as I faced their smiling face.

“So maybe it wasn’t a joke.”

[aces-drew]

some angsty jatp headcannons

because if i have to think about them, you have to cry with me; it’s simply equality ✨😌😌✨

the phantoms can’t sleep. it’s a side effect of death they hadn’t anticipated - sleeping is for your physical body to rest and reload. no body = no sleep

at first it didn’t bother the boys, they did all the things 17 year olds wanna do when they have literally no limits, especially at night - they went to an 18+ rock concert, stayed up and watched the sun rise together, went to a bar, explored a strip club for like 5 minutes (they immediately realised that it was a lot mustier and more depressing than they’d hoped)

soon they just kind of resorted to the comfort of their, now julie’s, garage at night time

luke took his couch, reggie took the untouched vintage bathtub in the back, and alex took the attic

that’s when they realised how much they missed sleep

alex stared at the stars through the sunroof that was still attached to the garage roof - the small square in the ceiling that had made the attic feel as big as the sky above it and lulled him to sleep when he was alive, now only amplified his anxieties. 

the stars seemed to taunt him about everything that was taken from him - if felt so much stronger than it did when he was with julie, alex and reggie. 

it was all so invasive; how he didn't get to go to college, or share a beer with his dad on his 21st birthday, or see his little sister graduate, or perform as headliners at a sold-out arena, or see the love in his parent’s eyes ease back when they looked at him, fully accepting him for who he was. he didn’t get to live a life that was fulfilling and complete - a life where he got to achieve his dreams and feel completely whole, completely happy. 

all of it seemed to add weight to his head and knock the air out of his lungs. he had to cling to his jeans to try and get his fingers to stop trembling. the fact that the crippling sadness he felt was the only thing that made him feel alive and real again made him want to smash a hole into his drums. 

it’s what he would’ve done if he was alive - but death had stolen when he could play from him too. so he just sucks it up and continues looking at the cloudless sky, tears falling from his eyes and hand gripping his still heart

luke was never one to do much thinking, and if he’s being honest, he still tries not to do it, his motto is always to take it easy and be rad enough to just chill and rock out 

but ever since he saw his parents again, he couldn’t stop playing the different ways he could’ve gone back home to them the night after the orpheum

he just wants to so desperately turn back time and replace the police sirens that his mom heard for the familiar reeling of his bike wheels and just see the relief set into his mom and dad’s face

he doesn’t talk about it to anyone, but the image of his mom ageing 30 years at the message of her dead son is something he can envision so well that it just haunts him now

every time there’s a quiet moment when he hangs out with the rest of the band, every time he closes his eyes, every time he strums the last note on his guitar - he can’t help but feel the weight he burdened his parents with

he tries to rationalise his death, tries to convince himself that death is unpredictable, unexacting and impatient, that there’s no way he could’ve known

but all he ends up feeling is the crashing guilt he’s been carrying with him for the last 25 years

reggie never really talked about his family that much other than joking about his parent’s failed marriage

but when it’s 3am and all he can hear is the grasshoppers and the swaying wind outside, he can’t help but think about his brothers and sisters

he hopes that his elder brothers stepped up and slept with his younger twin sisters when his parents were in a screaming match in the next room. he desperately hopes that in the past he couldn’t live through with them, his brothers played sinatra on their grandfather’s old beat-up vinyl that always lulled his sisters to sleep, muting the arguments he stayed up to when he was alive

he hoped that his brothers went to college and found love like they’d always joked about. he so desperately dreamed that they had kids and didn’t get too sad when they remembered how badly reggie had wanted little nephews and nieces, he prayed, to whatever deity or god that was watching over his family, that they were living happy and full-filling lives

and the last thing he hoped for was hidden away in the deepest and darkest part of his mind. a part of him couldn’t help but wish that the death of their child knocked some sense into his parents - to keep fighting, to keep hoping in themselves and their relationship - to see the best in themselves and their marriage that reggie had always seen

but really he knew better - his fantasies of a healed family was fractured in the truth that his death wasn’t as important or nearly enough to fix his broken family

so the three of them began to dread nightfall, tried to keep themselves as busy as they could to avoid the inevitable

but soon, they realised that ghosts had ghosts to deal with too

[invisibleraven]

Fluff bingo! Making up for Sweet Tarts?

A knock sounded on her door, but Carrie refused to budge, further burying herself in her pillow. The cover, once pristine, was now smudged with mascara stains, and remnants of tears borne of a broken heart.

"Carrie?" a voice called out.

"Go away!"

"Carrie it's Julie."

"And Flynn!"

Carrie groaned, turning over, and saw her friends, heads peeking in through her door, looking a little morose, and holding up a bag sure to be filled with cheer up treats. "Well come in then and you better have some Twizzlers in there."

Flynn tossed her the bag, plus peanut M&M's, a pineapple LaCroix, and a panda face mask. "We also brought cheesy movies, nail polish, and Julie brought stuff to make brownies."

"What happened?" Julie asked, popping open her can of Pringles, and tossing a bag of trail mix consisting mostly of candy at Flynn.

"Reggie and I got in a fight," Carrie replied sullenly. "He said something stupid, I got pissy, then he tried to makes it better with a joke that only made it worse, and I don't even know if we're still together because I kicked him out and told him not to come back."

Julie hissed. "Yeah, maybe not the best thing to say to Reggie, no matter what he did."

Carrie sat right up and gasped. "Oh shit. I fucked up." Because she knew Reggie had a thing about being told to not come back after his parents kicked him out at 18, and a few foster homes repeated the mantra until the Molinas took him in. She pulled up her phone, pushing Reggie's number, but it went straight to voice mail. "Shit shit shit!"

"It's okay," Flynn said soothingly. "You guys just need to cool down, when you've had some time, he'll be sure to listen and you can go back to being disgustingly cute together."

"Plus I'm currently texting Luke and telling him to check on Reg and make sure he knows you're sorry and want to talk," Julie said, her fingers tapping away at the screen.

"I don't even remember what he said that set me off," Carrie wept. "I can't have tossed away the best guy over something I can't even remember." She started rocking back and forth. "Maybe I don't deserve to get him back..."

"Okay, we are stopping that particular train of thought right now," Flynn said, hugging her tight. "You were both idiots, it can be resolved. Now, let's eat junk, watch trash and get our mani/pedi on while we wait, okay?"

"Okay," Carrie said with a sniffle, letting Julie envelop her in a hug as well. "You two are the best."

"And don't you forget it," Julie said, then began pulling out the nail polish. "Do you want Candy Apple or Hot Flamingo?"

~

It was a couple of hours later, and Carrie felt considerably better. Maybe it was all the sugar she consumed, or the camaraderie with her girls, but she was no longer weeping and wailing every second, which was an improvement.

However, none of them could reach Reggie, and Luke had been tight lipped about his status, not wanting to betray whatever weird bro code existed between them. So Carrie was left to wonder if she would be updating her relationship status or not.

She glanced over to the couch where Julie was passed out, Flynn snuggled under her chin, and Carrie wished for the uncomplicated nature of their relationship. Friends since birth, lovers since puberty, and now even with Julie seeing Luke as well, there were no fights, no jealousy, just love.

Carrie wanted that-thought she had it with Reggie. But maybe not.

She got up, stretched, and went to the kitchen. After a day of salty, sugary snacks, all she really wanted was a salad, heck even a bit of fruit to balance her out.

And there in the fridge, was a big bowl of broccoli salad. A salad that she didn't make, and she knew was not one of Reggie's favourites, but he would make it for her, because it was one of hers. She bit back a sob as she pulled the cover off, eating straight from the bowl, savouring the sweet raisons and savoury vegan bacon bits Reggie had thrown in. Enjoyed the crunch of the red onion and broccoli, mixed in with the tangy dressing.

She had to stop herself from eating the whole bowl honestly, as she wanted to savour this if it was meant to be a goodbye.

Then, a knock sounded, and not wanting it to wake the girls, Carrie rushed and opened the door. Finding a bouquet of hot pink daisies, and a very sad looking Reggie.

"I am so sorry," she rushed to say, pulling him into her embrace, sobbing into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, the flowers falling to the floor.

"That's my line," he whispered with a chuckle, kissing her temple. "I screwed up, putting my big old foot into my mouth, and then I made it worse with that awful joke..."

"I told you to get out and to not come back though," Carrie said.

"Eh, not the first time I've heard that," Reggie said with a shrug.

"That's what makes it even worse!" she wailed.

Reggie gently took a hold of her chin, tilting her head back so their eyes met. "Look, yeah, that stung really bad, but I know that you didn't mean it like that. You were pissed and lashing out. We all do it sometimes. How many times have I bitten your head off when I'm hangry or depressed?"

"Too many to count," she admitted.

"But you always forgive me," Reggie continued. "So now, I forgive you. We talk about it, we move on, and maybe you could come see Dr. Butler with me next time, just so we have someone to give us good communication tips?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Carrie gave a wet sniffle. "So we're good?"

"I mean, we'll get there," Reggie said. "But can I come home now? Alex and Willie are in full nesting mode with Isla, and Luke snores."

"Of course you can sugar," Carrie giggled.

Reggie beamed and pulled her in for a kiss, Carrie sighing as their lips found home, instantly feeling whole after a day of feeling shattered and broken. It was a tender kiss, but with an undercurrent of passion, and promises of glorious make up canoodling.

"I see you found the salad," Reggie said with a wry smirk as they broke apart.

"It's so good," Carrie pouted.

"Just means you didn't find the dessert I made to go with it," Reggie smiled. "Your hint is it's in the freezer."

Carrie scurried off, and Reggie knelt down to retrieve the bouquet. A few flowers were bruised and battered, but otherwise it looked pretty damn good, much like his relationship right now. He put them into a vase of water and went over to the couch. He shook Julie who blinked up at him and smiled.

"All good hermano?"

"Si, now get out, I got some smooching to do and it's weird to do it with my sister in the house," he said, gesturing towards the door.

Flynn stirred then, blinking up at him then at Julie. "We good to go home now?"

"Yup," Julie replied, helping her up. "Let's go and see if we can bother Luke enough to get Thai for supper."

"Sounds good," Flynn said with a yawn. Then she punched Reggie playfully in the arm. "Don't fuck it up again Romeo."

"I won't," he promised, and shooed them out the door, though he did catch a silent gesture of warning from Flynn to Carrie, so he was thankful he wasn't getting all the blame.

The door shut and Carrie pulled him in for another kiss, this time tasting of the strawberry sorbet he'd made and stored earlier.

"Let's try to not fight anymore, I don't like it," he murmured against her lips as they pulled apart.

"But we will," she said. "We'll fight lots, that's just the way it is. The thing is we can't let the fights make us forget what we have, and try to make up so that we come back stronger."

"Sounds good," he said. "Now, do you wanna eat? Snuggle? Talk?"

"Can we nap?" Carrie asked shyly. "I didn't sleep last night without you and I'm beat."

"Sounds perfect," he replied, sweeping her up into his arms, and off to bed. Sure, maybe they fell asleep mid kiss, and maybe Carrie was right about the fights.

But their love for each other never faded, and it made the making up all the sweeter.

[issaxcharlie]

Ghost Of You 2/2

Pairing: Ghost! Luke Patterson x Fem Reader

Summary: Luke, Reggie and Alex have to assimilate their loss. For Luke of his girlfriend, and for the others of their best friend after suddenly learning that she didn’t have the future they imagined, and instead died 23 years ago.

Thank you to @cookiebuba for being the head of the entire idea and trusting me with it, and to Emy for almost holding my hand to force me to write🤣💜

PART 1 HERE

“It can’t be.”

“Luke, I-”

"No, Julie. You are not telling me that the woman of my life, the purest person who has ever stepped on this world, not only lost her partner and her best friends, but was only able to live her life for two more years and then ended in a horrible accident. It's as if life wanted to torture her before taking her too.”

“Love of ?... Zeppelin shirt you wore when you ran away. Of course.”

“I- It can’t be true, please tell me it’s not true, Julie.”

“Luke... she loved you so much.”

He falls on the floor. The impact is strong, as if his legs have stopped working.

"I know." He whispers slowly, his gaze empty as multiple tears fall from his eyes.

The rest of the gang threw themselves to the ground around him and hugged him with all their might, trying to unite his broken pieces without any success. Alex and Reggie each crying silently over the loss of their sweet friend.

“What day did she pass away? Alex whispers.

"Let me search, one moment." Julie gets up quickly and checks on her laptop to find a little note about the singer's death.

"The rising singer Y/N Y/L who had just released the biggest hit of her career passed away this afternoon in a terrible car accident after leaving the cemetery where her late boyfriend, Luke Patterson, was buried. Y/L was there in commemoration of the 2 years of the loss of the aspiring musician, who died from a sudden tragic intoxication along with the rest of his band. Something to rescue from this tragedy is that at least she's already reunited with her eternal love. May both rest in peace.”

“This can’t be. My Y/N can’t be gone. Not her, not like that.” Luke is still in denial, unable to believe that his little girl suffered such a terrible ending.

“Maybe she’s not. There's still a chance that she's also a ghost.”

“Yeah, Julie’s right. We need to look out for her, we can't write her off without trying to find her first.” Reggie's eyes sparkle with hope, rushing to cover Alex's mouth in case he says anything other than motivating.

Luke takes his flannel and disappears immediately. Both Reggie and Alex stare sadly at Julie who simply whispers a "go, he needs you." They nod and teleport to their friend.

As expected, Luke is in front of the window of an old music store. He met his girlfriend here so many years ago, the day his parents agreed to buy him his first guitar.

The store had a small section where customers could try out some instruments and she was playing the guitar they had there and singing for the small audience. It seemed like it was something she did often because both the workers and certain customers seemed familiar with the girl.

Luke was captivated by her from the first moment. The energy and passion that radiated from her in every move was unreal. He had never seen anyone happier, much less singing with a borrowed guitar from a small downtown store.

The store is completely abandoned, so without saying anything he comes in and walks towards the small stage.

The ghosts of two 12-year-old kids singing together into the microphone invades his memory. If they only knew.

"Do you remember what was the first thing she said to you?" Reggie and Alex sit next to him on the floor, looking straight at the very small stage. They both try to imagine what their friends must have looked like singing here together the first time. Luke totally invading little Y/N's presentation trying to captivate her with his 0% music experience and 100% of enthusiasm.

Luke laughs through tears. "You have the voice of a country singer."

Alex starts crying when he imagines her. He met her just a few weeks later so he knows exactly how she must have looked and sound.

Reggie smiles while shedding a tear, remembering all those afternoons Y/N convinced Luke to join them in their country sessions. He knows that's why Luke hasn't wanted to know anything about country or his songs since they got back. They remind him of his sweet girl.

“I was so offended. I still didn't know anything about music but I had already decided that I would be a rocker. If I hadn't already been so dazzled by her I would have left without looking back.”

“And what did you answer to defend your honor?”

"You think so?" The three of them start laughing while still crying. A heartbreaking mix of pain comes from their chests.

“C’mon guys, next stop.”

The three of them were teletransporting around the city during the day without any success. Luke's desperation increasing for every place the songwriter wasn't.

At night the three decide to go back to the studio. Luke is heartbroken, bloated after crying all day, eyes red and sore, and whatever it was that was driving him to continue, off.

His friends couldn't do much for him either because each was living the loss in their own way, concentrating on living their own pain until they could process it.

Julie wraps them in blankets on the couch and tries to fill them with love, making sure to hug Luke tightly, who seems about to fall apart.

“Does anyone want to talk about her? Maybe it could make you feel better.”

“She was my entire soul, the words and melody in each of my songs. I just, I love her more than anything in this world. I would give anything for her. My guitar, my voice, my songs, whatever it took for us to be together. I know it doesn't seem like it at this point, but we belong together.”

“We know you do, man.”

“I didn't tell you but I dream about her almost every night since we got back. It is always the same dream. She is in bed, leaving my side intact. She's wearing one of my shirts and hugging my favorite one while sobbing. She falls asleep listening to the ballad I wrote for her soaked in tears and no matter how hard I try to wake her up, I can't get her to see or hear me. I can’t get her. After a few minutes she gets up still asleep and begins to dance as we did so many times, but alone. Then she stops and starts crying again inconsolably. And that's when I wake up."

"I'm so sorry, Luke. She deserved so much more." Reggie walks over to hug him, his head resting on his arm while he sobs.

“We couldn't even say goodbye to her.” Alex cries, his eyes completely red.

“We already know that she visited your graves, perhaps we could do the same, dedicate a few words to her.” Julie offers in an attempt to help them find some peace.

Luke looks devastated, but he nods his head as tears continue to fall from his face, the ring that his girlfriend gave him going in and out of his finger. Alex hugs Julie while she strokes his hair in an effort to calm him down and Reggie runs up to get a notebook and pencil to start planning what to say to his best friend tomorrow.

The three of them hang around all night, crying, writing, hugging, remembering the spark of Sunset Curve. In the morning before going to visit her, they realize is exactly the 25th anniversary of that tragic night that changed the lives of the four forever. Luke nearly punches a hole in the wall upon hearing the sad coincidence.

Her grave is right next to Luke's, who has never been here before and can't help but feel a bit anxious.

“Don’t worry, I’ll start.” Reggie tells the guitarist as he takes a step forward, a small smile on his lips.

"Hello, princess. Long time, huh? I'm Reggie, by the way. In case you don't recognize me from the slight change in my hair. I am trying a little more gel, I want something more elegant and classic. What do you think? Yes, I also thought you would like it.” Julie and Alex smile at hearing him talk to her as natural as possible.

“I tried very hard to think of what to say, because if there is anyone who deserves my best words, it is you. And three things came to mind that I want to share with you.

First, the color yellow.

Yellow like the guitar you were saving for two years to buy. You did everything. You were a babysitter, you walked dogs, you worked in the school library, you sang with your old acoustic guitar in every cafe, basically everything that will let you win some money.

And the day before you could finally go buy it, my dad broke my bass in a moment of anger in one of his typical fights with mom that got really out of hand. At least he didn’t hurt her, huh? But when you're a kid you don't even think about the possibility that something like that could happen, you just focus on the broken instrument in your hand. I ran out and ended up on the stairs of your house with my face soaked and one of the broken pieces in my hand.

You hugged me and promised that everything would be fine. That I was always going to have you four and that we would always be family. You assured me that good things happen to good people. And I believed you, you know? You were always right. But now that I'm here, that I know you didn't have the happy ending you deserved, I'm honestly not so sure anymore.”

Luke and Alex start crying again, each hugging Reggie from one side. Reg tries with all his might to continue through the tears, while Julie looks at them with a broken heart.

“The next day when I came back from school a new bass was on my bed. You talked to Mom so she could take the credit for the gift, but coincidentally was exactly the bass that I fell in love with a year earlier when we went to check if your beloved yellow guitar hadn't dropped in price. Luke revealed to me a few months later that you had to borrow money from your mom in order to complete the exact money for that one.

How generous do you have to be in order to do something like that? how noble? How loving? How selfless? You were always more than I deserved. I was supposed to be like an older brother for you, but it was always you who took care of me. I have Julie and Carlos, and I'm trying to be with them as you were with me. I had the best step sister in the world to teach me, and I hope I can do you justice.” Julie starts crying too after hearing his words, and resists the urge to going to hug him because she knows that they need their space to let go all the suffering that they carry.

“Second, my leather jacket.

When we started the band we made a 100% commitment to being rockstars. And a very important part is the look. You accompanied me on a walk around the city looking for the right outfit to literally go sing to the people who were lining up in front of the clubs.

Anyone could have left me alone on that for multiple reasons, not even these two wanted to face the trouble. But you followed me without thinking twice.

The afternoon was over and we still haven't found anything. Our feet couldn't take it anymore and we had 10 minutes to run to the club. But we stopped by a little store that had a black leather jacket in the window and you said, Reg, this is it.

You excitedly took me by the hand and when I tried it on, the rest was history.

Then I tried to get the whole band to use them but these two boys without fashion sense didn’t want to. You, on the other hand, supported me and wore your leather jacket during all the Sunset Curve performances we had, convincing me that they were our good luck charms and that if we both used them everything would be amazing. Oh god, I miss you so much.

And third, a star.

I thought you were a star when I heard you sing for the first time.

I thought you were a star when you and Luke managed to write the whole Sunset Curve album in 2 months.

I thought you were a star when you bought me my bass, when you made Alex feel better after one of his strongest attacks, when you filled Luke with love and support when he needed it the most.

And I believe it now that I know you are gone.

If you are in heaven, you have to be a star. And not just a star, the brightest star of all. I promise to look for your light every night to wish you sweet dreams. I will also sing you some country since you were the only one who appreciated my incredible sound, I hope it makes you smile.”

“That was beautiful, Reggie. I’m sure she loved it.” Julie finally reaches out to hug him as Alex prepares to be next.

“Hey. I don’t even know where to start.

I- I guess I should start saying I could never pay you all the times you were there to pick me up when I needed someone the most. I went back to dancing a little again. It's not the same without you, but somehow it makes me feel you close. I also met someone, oh Y/N, he’s so special, I'm sure you would have loved him and I would have loved the opportunity to introduce him to you. You were always there.

You were there to support me when I decided to learn drums to cope with my anxiety. You sang the song I was practicing over and over to keep me company and reassure me that what I was doing sounded good.

You were there to support me when I told you I like to dance. We spent hours choreographing different iconic songs and just laughing and enjoying creating more memories together.

Not shocking at this point but you were also there for me when I confessed to my parents I’m gay and you gave me strength all those times that I wanted to fall because they no longer saw me the same way.

You were always my safe place. And I regret with all my heart that I couldn’t be yours.”

Alex breaks down. She kept them on their feet during her darkest days and they paid her off by causing her the most horrible pain imaginable. Julie and Reggie surround her in their arms while sobbing. The last one of the band standing moves closer to the grave and drops to his knees.

“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so fucking sorry.” Luke tries to be strong, but tears start falling like waterfalls from his eyes, his face red in a mixture of despair, sadness and anger.

“I will never forgive myself for leaving you alone. Baby, I've been without you for only 1 month and I’m going crazy, even with the boys and Julie by my side. I don't even want to imagine what you must have been through those two years. My soul is shattered just thinking about it.

At first when we returned I imagined you were happy after having fulfilled all our plans with someone else. And I thought nothing could hurt me more than that, but obviously I was wrong. Because although it hurt me that I couldn’t be the one who was with you, thinking that you had been happy gave me the peace to be able to continue. Now that I know that life took away your opportunity, the only thing I feel is anger.

Anger towards me, anger towards destiny. Anger at not being able to be together even after death. Since we discovered where you are, I have only been able to think of cross over and finally be with you again.

Or at least go back to the night before everything turned into a nightmare. Fall asleep with you in my arms one more time.

I swear I even miss your snoring and you biting my cheek after your goodnight kiss, as you would say, in a gesture of love.”

“Hello again, my love.

I can't believe 25 years have passed. First of all, I want you to know that I'm okay. Or well, the equivalent for ghosts that are destined to haunt the earth alone for all eternity. I made a friend for several years, Rose. I told you about her, remember? I know you guys would have been good friends, she was a ridiculously talented musician. Since she died I no longer had the strength to go back to the studio, but for a long time I enjoyed her company in one of my favorite places. She promised to tell you that I'm waiting for you. I will wait whatever time is necessary, okay? I love you so much, baby.

You three are always on my mind, and I think I can finally accept that the pain is just never going to go away. But lately something super strange has happened to me, let me tell you.

Throughout these years, in the darkest days, I see you. But, they were always memories.

A month ago, I started to see you having other kinds of experiences and I honestly don't know how to feel about it. Am I going that crazy? I selfishly hoped that you too were ghosts for so many years. I looked for you 5, 10, 15, 20 years. And just as I decide to give up, my head imagines you all over the city.

The first time I saw you singing Reggie's jam on the beach. You guys looked so happy, love. It filled my heart with peace for a few seconds, knowing that somewhere up there you are enjoying life singing together all day.

Then I saw my beloved Alex with a cute boy. My heart melted, I can’t even explain how much I wanted to run to hug him and gossip about it.

Baby, he looked so peaceful. I always wanted that for Alex. I didn't know whether to be happy or cry because that didn’t actually happen, so I did both.

The penultimate time was a few nights ago when I was walking in front of the Orpheum and I heard your voices. How wicked my mind is, right? A knife to the heart would hurt less.

And now, I can't even get close to your grave because I'm imagining you all again.”

Y/N doesn't know what to do, if she gets close enough will they disappear? What If they don’t? Will she bear to see them up close? She has been dancing with their ghosts in her dreams for so many years, but It’s not the same as doing it when she is fully awake.

She is about to run out of there in fear when the silhouette of a fourth person catches her attention. She doesn't know why, but it immediately reminds her of Rose. Could it be that she is imagining her friend too?

Curiosity is stronger than fear, like all those times when she got into trouble with her boys. She walks carefully towards her grave which is next to her beloved Luke.

“I swear I even miss your snoring and you biting my cheek after your goodnight kiss as you would say, in a gesture of love.”

“I don't freaking snore, I told you a million times already... and now I'm talking with my imagination, great.”

The band turns in shock towards the fifth voice. That's when she can see the girl's face and realize who she is.

“Julie? But, how?”

“Y/N?” Alex whispers on the verge of passing out.

She starts to panic, just before the boys can do something about it, a new person appears behind her.

“Hey, you took a long time." She turns around and jumps into the arms of who has become her only friend in recent years.

“Phoenix, thank god.” Her body continues to shake but she clings tightly to her friend while crying uncontrollably.

To say the ghosts are confused would be an understatement. And apart from that, the guitarist is having many conflicts with the jealousy that he is feeling at the moment. They haven't seen each other in 25 years and when they finally do, she runs into someone else's arms and clings to him like her life depends on it.

What does that mean for them? Is it too late?

“Beautiful, what's wrong? Who are they? Oh, wait. You guys were at the club a few weeks ago, you're friends with Willie, right?”

Luke feels like dying all over again hearing him call her that. She continues to shake but finally lets go.

“What? You can see them?”

“Shouldn’t I?” He looks at her skeptical and shifts his eyes from her to the ghosts.

“I- Oh my god. I'm going to pass out.“

“Baby, look at me.” Luke’s voice is a mix between a plea and a demand. The terror of knowing that perhaps he has already lost her without having had the opportunity to fight for her clouds his judgment and tears begin to fall from his face again.

25 years. 25 years fighting not to forget his voice. 25 years having him only in dreams, in memories, in melodies. 25 years waiting for him. 25 years on her own.

She turns slowly to meet those honey-green eyes she craved for so long to see, a painful smile from Luke makes her smile through tears.

She carefully lifts her right hand and gently draws it to his cheek, almost exploding at the feel of it.

“You came back. Oh my, It’s really you.” She jumps to the guitarist, entwining her legs at his hips, her arms tangled with all her strength around him, her head buried in his neck inhaling his scent. Tears coming out as if to drown her, all the pain and suffering that she faced all these years finally leaving her body.

Luke wraps her tightly in his arms, still unable to process what’s happening.

Alex and Reggie begin to smile without fully assimilating what is happening, while Julie begins to jump of joy.

“Babygirl, I'm sorry to ruin the moment but I have to rush to the club. Will you be okay here?"

“She's always safe with me." The guitarist growls, and Y/N starts laughing when she hears it.

"The jealous, protective baby in the beanie is right, don't worry Nix. I’ll go and find you later."

Phoenix nods with a smile and disappears. Julie begins to scold Luke while Reggie and Alex approach to touch the cheek of their best friend, still in the arms of the guitarist who does not seem to have any intention of letting go.

“We should go home to catch up. Reggie and I will accompany Julie, it seems that you two should speak alone first." Luke doesn't think twice and disappears with her in his arms.

“Good things happen to good people.” Reggie whispers as he hugs his friends and they start walking home.

Luke and Y/N reappear in the studio and they are both shocked for a few seconds. The girl trembles again in fear of dreaming.

“Hey, come here baby. Shh, I’m here, I promise.”

“Don’t leave me ever again, please.” He can see that it is very difficult for her to understand that is really happening, and to think that she lived without him not 2 but 25 years makes him want to cry again.

“I won’t. I promise, beautiful. Never again.” Luke wraps her in his arms, but she lifts her head from his chest to push her lips against his. The kiss is urgent, but they both instantly recognize each other and fit in perfectly. Luke picks her up again and gently lays her down on the couch, both desperate to feel the other, to recognize every inch.

“I missed you so much baby, I love you more than anything.” Luke whispers between kisses, not willing to have her an inch away from him.

“I love you my love. I love you, I love you, I love you.” She says while kissing the love of her life, happy for the first time in 25 years.

Before things get to escalate, the rest of the band shows up in the studio followed by Julie who clearly walks through the door.

"Let go of her man, it's our turn!" Y/N gets up quickly from the sofa while her boyfriend complains and she throws herself at both of them who pick her up as best they can and spin her in the air.

They put her down and Julie and her stare each other, both raise their arms and meet in a quick but sweet hug.

“You said my name back there, how?” The question that she has stuck since she met her finally coming to light.

“I met your mom many years ago when I came to visit the studio and realized that she could see me. We were friends for many years and I had the opportunity to see you grow up, but I always made sure to be upstairs when you came in in case you could see me too.”

“Well, now I understand how Carlos felt when he found out that we lived with ghosts. And It sounds like mom watches over us both from heaven.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she does.” Both girls smile and hug each other once more.

“I can't believe I endured 25 years without having those beautiful arms around me.” She whispers as they both lie on the couch, Luke has her completely cornered in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, baby. It breaks my heart that you have suffered that much for so many years.”

“It was not your fault. You lost as much as I did that night. Besides, I always knew that you would find me sooner or later. We belong together.”

“We do. I, I k-know we have way more to talk about but, who was the dude from the cementery?”

The insecurity in his voice is evident and Y/N can't help but smile. His emotions are complex, real, and nothing can make her happier than that.

“I’ll tell you all about my friend later, okay? For now... dance with me? I want to dance with the real deal.” He smiles and they both stand up, hugging each other as they slowly move through the studio as they did many times before life separated them.

The Luke in her arms is her Luke, the same one she has been waiting for so many years, finally back in her arms. And just as she thought when she lived, she will dance with his ghost for all eternity.

Thank you for reading✨✨

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