#i'm so overwhelmed by everything. the storm. my house being a wreck. i finally got things back to normal and bam!

[mossdeep]

:((

[unsaid-stardust]

Home is Wherever I'm with You

Even though Luke gained some closure with his mom thanks to his brightest burning star, he still finds himself going to his parents’ house every now and then. 

He doesn’t exactly know why, there’s no thought process behind it. He just gets this pull in his chest every few days that seems to take him to his house. Maybe it’s a part of being a ghost. They do say that ghosts go where their soul latched onto and while Luke always thought his instrument was more attached to his soul than anything else, his house was still a part of him, even if it was small.

The visits didn’t make him feel the way they used to before ‘Unsaid Emily’ was finally seen by Emily. Luke still didn’t feel like he probably should, sad merely for the fact that he misses them. Instead, he felt numb. Which he guessed was better than leaving the house feeling like an anchor was lying down on his chest the way he did before. But, he’d rather feel something, anything. 

He just didn’t expect it to be betrayal.

Luke had poofed into the kitchen and found his way back onto the countertop. He didn’t remember when he started doing that, it was just a thing he always did, ever since he was little even. Alex and Reggie joke that he likes to feel tall, but in reality, Luke feels like it ironically grounds him. 

As he took in his surroundings, Luke realized that he heard music playing. The source? A record player that he had no idea his parents still owned; The Who blasting with “My Generation”. Soon, Luke spotted his father cooking dinner, shaking his head to the rhythm and singing along to the stutters in the chorus. 

Luke gripped the sides of the counter. He had never seen his dad like this. If he had, then maybe there would’ve been more incentive for Luke to stay. And then he wouldn’t be here the way he currently was. He wouldn’t be....no. Luke couldn’t start thinking like that again. Just because his dad was listening to music doesn’t suddenly mean that he had a secret passion for it. 

Luke’s thoughts were thankfully shed away as his mom’s laughter sounded the kitchen. 

“Well someone’s in a good mood,” She commented as she hugged her husband from behind. Mitch smiled brighter than Luke had seen during any of his visits.

“Yeah, I was sifting through some old boxes and found a bunch of our records. Made me think of Woodstock again,” He responded.

If Luke had a heart, he was pretty sure it would’ve stopped in that moment. Woodstock? Like the 3 day music festival that was all about music and peace Woodstock? The festival filled with drugs and alcohol and-and sex Woodstock? 

The festival that was about everything Emily and Mitch stood against as parents Woodstock?

“Oh yeah, those were the days, huh?” Emily reminisced. Mitch hummed in agreement.

“I still remember the first time I saw you in the crowd at the Janis Joplin set. Don’t think I could forget it even if I tried,” Mitch proclaimed. 

“Yeah? I still remember you putting me on your shoulders during Hendrix’s set. You dared me to crowd surf, but for some reason, that’s where I drew the line at that festival,” Emily laughed. 

“You did always know when to quit. Unlike me who thought it would be a good idea to buy our son a guitar so that he would be like Jimmy Hendrix.’ 

Luke froze, the anchor starting to reappear on his chest. His dad....his dad wanted him to be like one of the greats? That didn’t make any sense. 

“Hey, I'm just as much to blame. I thought it would be a good outlet for him. He was always so stubborn, so bottled up, I thought maybe if he couldn’t talk to us he could-- It was--it was just supposed to be a hobby,” Emily explained, her voice starting to give out towards the end. Mitch turned around and brought her in for a hug. 

“It’s ok, it’s ok. We couldn’t have possibly known, Emily.” Mitch soothed. 

Luke felt dizzy. And nauseous. And-could ghosts even feel those things? Oh, well, it didn’t matter, because Luke was feeling those things. And tears were streaming down his face uncontrollably, his body shaking to try and keep it together. But, he couldn’t. 

He brought his sleeve up to his face, trying to wipe away and remnants of tears. He couldn’t go to Julie’s like this. But, he had nowhere else to go, and he definitely didn’t want to be here.

So, he poofed through the tears and landed in the studio of all places. Normally, he’d be more than okay with that, but he just didn’t wanna see--

“Hey, man, where have you been? Rehearsal started like 15 minutes ago,” Reggie interrogated. Luke didn’t stay to entertain. Instead, he just walked away without a word, not looking anyone in the eye. 

He didn’t know where he was going, he just couldn’t stay there. At some point, Luke managed to find solace on the porch swing in front of the Molina’s house, and he crumbled into himself, pulling his knees to his chest, resting his head on top of them. 

How could his parents do this to him? How could they act like music was this terrible thing, the absolute worst thing, their son could get passionate about when they clearly were the ones that passed it onto him?

“Luke?” A soft voice sounded causing Luke to lift his head up. 

Julie. 

Of course it was Julie. 

Good, kind hearted, loving, actual angel on earth, Julie. 

He didn’t want to talk, but that was the thing about Julie. She got him. Because as soon as he looked up at her, she moved to make her way towards the swing, sat down beside him and rested her head onto his shoulder. 

She didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask what was wrong. Didn’t say his name. Just sat there with her head on his shoulder because she knew him. She knew that’s what he needed. And god, did he need that. 

He needed the smell of her shampoo, peaches on a summer day. He needed the sound of her breathing reminding him that even though he didn’t have a breath anymore, he still needed to follow her rhythm. 

He needed her.

Luke doesn’t know how long they sat like that. The warmth of Julie’s living body radiating onto his own skin, the slight L.A breeze gently pushing the swing they sat on. But, Luke did know, that being there with her made him feel the way he should; Calm and alive at the same time, the way the waves looked after a raging storm. He felt like he could tell her anything, like the way it should’ve been with his parents. 

“My parents...” He broke the silence and Julie lifted her head off of his shoulder so that she could look at him, but she placed her hand on his wrist gently, knowing what he needed. 

“They met at a Woodstock. They....they loved music...” he managed to choke out.

Julie parted her lips, and god if he wasn’t so sad at that moment, he would’ve kissed her. 

“But...if they loved music...why didn’t-why didn’t they love that you loved it?” She chose her words carefully. But, Luke still felt overwhelmed. Because how couldn’t he?

How couldn’t the tears make their way back into his eyes without his consent? How couldn’t his chest feel tight? How couldn’t he lose it?

“I don’t know-I don’t know,” Was all he could manage to say as he shook his head, the tears continuing to fall. 

Julie pulled him back into her, his head burying itself in the crook of her neck, his hands twisting themselves in her hair. 

“Hey, hey. You still got me, yeah? And Alex and Reggie. And Flynn and WIllie. We all love you and we love that you love music. That’s what matters right? We may not be the same family as your parents, but we’re still your family. And you did that all on your own. You found us. Not your parents. Not the universe. Not Caleb. You. And I think that’s something pretty amazing,” Julie explained. 

Luke pulled back from Julie, the tears drying on their own, his eyes finding a home in hers. 

He never thought of it that way. Because, around Julie, he always felt like they were meant to know each other. Like some sort of invisible string tied them together way before either of theme existed. But, she was right. The universe may have placed them in a path where they could find each other, but he was still the one that found her. And Luke was so fucking lucky to have found her. This-bright burning star. This wicked beauty. This wrecking ball of a talent and any and all other metaphors that describe just how amazing she was. 

And not only did he find her, but he found someone that loves him. Truly, really, genuinely, loves him. All of him. Not just his pretty stuff, but the ugly parts too. His stubbornness, his one track mind, and most importantly, his passion. 

Maybe, his soul wasn’t as attached to his literal home, but Luke thinks that the the home he found in Julie Molina made up for that. 

tagging: @moony221b @willexx @littledancersun @blush-and-books @lydias--stiles @romantiquesnouvelles