#sunset curve ot4

[lvkereggie]

bobby i will never forget abt you when it comes to sunset curve, im an ot4 girly4life🙏🏽

[astorytotellyourfriends]

(Hi! It’s Purple Heart anon 💜 sorry I haven’t been sending any asks I just thought they were getting a little boring and stale so I thought I’d give you a break from me lol!) could I maybe get sunset curve and 44 for kiss prompts? If you haven’t done it, I checked through and I don’t think so but maybe I missed it! I’ll pick another if you have!

44: Tentative kisses given in the dark - ohhhhh my god this is so perfect for them!!! thank you!!!! (also this got Very Long wow)

-x-

Luke can't sleep. He's been laying awake staring at the blinds on the living room windows for the last half an hour at least, and he's pretty sure the other guys are all asleep. He shifts around in his sleeping bag and pokes Alex's head, since he's closest.

"Alex," he hisses as he pokes him again.

"Stop it," Alex says in a tired voice as he slaps Luke's hand away. "Go to sleep."

"I can't," Luke whispers. "I tried."

"Try harder."

"You guys are still awake?" Reggie whispers as he turns over in his sleeping bag, propping himself up on his arms as he faces Luke. "I thought it was just me."

Luke grins in the dark as he reaches out to grab Reggie's hand, but Alex groans. "No, we're all supposed to be sleeping."

"How can anybody sleep with you guys talking?" Bobby asks in a dry, sarcastic voice as he shifts around in his sleeping bag. "You're all so loud."

"I was just thinking," Luke says, keeping his voice low to ensure they won't accidentally wake up his parents. "Now that we're…"

Reggie squeezes his hand gently as Luke pauses, and Alex tilts his head to look at Luke. He's barely visible in the dark; the only light in the room is the streetlight peeking in through the blinds over the window.

"We're what?" Bobby asks, prompting Luke to finish his thought.

"Well… you know…" Luke laughs awkwardly. "I dunno if boyfriends is the right word, but…"

"I like boyfriends," Reggie pipes up, squeezing Luke's hand again. "I-If we're doing votes…"

"No, we're not voting," Alex says with a sigh. "Luke, would you just--"

"I wanna kiss you," Luke blurts out. "A-All of you."

The other three stay completely silent.

"I just… I can't stop thinking about it, okay?" Luke sighs heavily. "So I think we should just… we should just do it. Like, now."

"Like… all of us?" Alex asks.

"All at once?" Reggie adds, sounding confused.

"No, not--" Luke snorts. "Not all at once, Reg. Like… taking turns."

Bobby stifles a laugh and Luke reaches over to smack him.

"You know what I mean!"

"I'm sorry, I just--" Bobby presses his face down into his pillow, "the way you said it--"

"I know," Luke says as his face burns, grateful for the darkness that hides his blush. "But I'm serious."

"Who first?" Reggie asks. "Like, who kisses who?"

Luke squeezes his hand. "I… I dunno. I didn't get that far."

"Why don't you and Reg go first?" Alex says, shifting a little closer towards the space between the four of them. "Then Bobby and I can go."

"Okay," Luke says as he gently tugs on Reggie's hand to pull him closer. "Sound good, Reg?"

"Y-Yeah." Reggie swallows hard as he crawls across the space between him and Luke. He accidentally bumps his head against Luke's when he goes too far, but it's not altogether painful. Luke cups the side of Reggie's face with his other hand and very carefully seeks out his mouth, pressing a soft, tentative kiss to his lips.

It only lasts a few seconds, just a couple of kisses shared between them before they pull away and blush wildly in the dark.

"N-Now you guys," Luke says as he and Reggie shift backwards, leaving the space between them open for Alex and Bobby to take.

"We should've turned a light on," Bobby grumbles under his breath as he fumbles around to find Alex, who agrees wholeheartedly.

"It's so fucking dark," Alex mumbles, making a soft noise of surprise when his mouth suddenly connects with Bobby's. Luke shivers as he hears more than sees them kissing, the wet smack of their lips and the quiet moan that slips out of one of their mouths.

"My turn," Luke says as he curls his hand in the collar of Alex's shirt and pulls him close, while Bobby turns to Reggie and kisses him next.

Luke's kiss with Alex is a little more feverish than his kiss with Reggie; now that they've started kissing, Luke doesn't want to stop. Alex pulls away with a gasp, breathing out hard as Luke stares at him. Alex's eyes catch the light from the street and Luke sees the same desperation in Alex's eyes that he feels low in his belly.

"R-Reg?" Alex squeaks, clearing his throat as he turns away from Luke.

As soon as Luke turns his head, Bobby's there waiting for him. Luke shivers as he hears Alex and Reggie kissing, and Bobby eagerly pulls Luke towards him for their kiss. Bobby takes charge in a way neither Alex nor Reggie had, and it sends tingles down Luke's spine. He slides his hand in Luke's hair and tugs a little, making Luke moan into his mouth.

"Not a bad idea, Patterson," Bobby whispers against his lips. Luke laughs breathlessly, his cheeks flushed and his whole body feeling lighter than air. He steals another kiss from Bobby's lips and then glances over at the other two, his eyes finally adjusted enough to see them in the dark.

"Round two?"

[a-tomb-with-a-view]

Do you have any recs for good Bobby fics? I love yours so much!! ❤️

Hi, thank you! I absolutely do, lesgo

I’ve got this feeling in my bones by @on-irratia inspired by the gremliness of yours truly is fantastic and I love it, as well as Taking Your Hand (Taking A Shot)

If you liked Three Princes and Frog or Your Hands Protect The Flames, then All This Feeling Second Best, It’s Got Me By The Throat by @aroacethetic-shitpost , But I’m Right Where You Left Me (Idk Author’s @) and We Can Make It So Divine by @bobbywilsonsupremacy are all bloody brilliant and explore Bobby feeling left out of AlexLukeReggie in a polyam sitch

Crazy Random Happenstance (Idk the author’s @) and The Stuffed Puppy by @im-not-fine are both really sweet Luke/Bobby

Sunset Curve And The Suspenders and He’s My Kind Of Rain by @madamecristal and You’re The Only Friend I Need by @bobbywilsonsupremacy are really great Bobby/Alex fics

@sunsetcurvecuddles has some really awesome boggie, with my personal favourite being Can You Feel The Weight Of It, and @beethovensbitxh has some awesome boggie as well, her songfics are ace

Other boggie faves include I’ve Been So Good (Where The Hell Is The Karma) by @itsthebooks, Bobby’s Sexuality Crisis Summer by @agnesclementineblog Are You For Me Or Against Me (Hold Yourself Against Me) by @siriuslyrose

Et finalement, à couple of fun friendship tingz: I’ll Cut My Hair (To Make You Stare) and I Hear Your Voice Behind A Staticy Storm from the It’s Not Sunset Cis Either series by @wr0temyway0ut are amazing, And so is Opposites Attract (Idk the author’s @)

That’s all I have for now, but if anyone wants to add, please do! There is a lot of brilliant stuff in the fandom and I’m sure I’ve missed some :))

[sunset-bobby]

He’s Very Nice to Look At

Luke, Alex, and Reggie are looking for a fourth member of Sunset Curve. They had just given up hope, when in walks the mysterious Bobby

Link to fic

Tag list:

@williexmercer @allfortheaesthetic @kybee1497 @a-tomb-with-a-view @kikikiwi27498 @itsthebooks @ace-bobby-wilson @bright-molina

if you wanna be added let me know :)

[the-anxious-gay-drummer]

Agnes' JatP fics masterpost

Thought I might as well clump together all the thingies I wrote for this fandom so far.

*all fics that are not marked otherwise are completed

UPDATED: 16 March 2021

ASHES WE ARE AND FROM ASHES WE RISE

Bobby/Alex/Luke/Reggie

4.8k words

Supernatural elements, polyamory, love confessions, angst with happy ending

Mom catches him after sundown, copper bowls laden with candles and fruit and herbs clutched to his chest and steers him back inside the house with a firm hand on his shoulder. She doesn’t yell and she doesn’t lecture and Bobby asks her, “How did you know?”

“Because,” she tells him, putting away the bowls, “death is also lonely.” She turns to face him, draped into the sunset colors slipping in through the window, her eyes dark and strong, and says, “You need to learn to put things to rest.”

BOBBY'S SEXUALITY CRISIS SUMMER

Bobby/Reggie

3.8k words

Coming out, fluff and humor (attempted?)

The tank top is black, Reggie's skin is pale, shoulders and face pinked from the Sun. And his arms are not as scrawny as Bobby remembers them being. He blames tingly, tight feeling in his chest on the fact that Alex is a drummer and Luke has been prancing around in his cutoffs since they hit puberty and Bobby had to ask Carrie to open his peanut butter jar yesterday because he couldn't do it.

GENTLE HAUNTING

Willie/Alex

2.6k words

5+1, near death experiences, happy ending

As he loses his balance, there’s a dull noise of wheels rolling over the sidewalk and in his periphery, a splash of bright colors- yellows and blues and reds and greens- so vibrant that, for a moment, Alex forgets that he’s falling.

AKA "Five times Alex sees Willie while he's alive and one time they finally meet as ghosts"

KISSING THE LIGHTS

Willie/Alex

1.1k words

Fluff, kissing

“What are you doing?” He asks quietly, not wanting to disrupt the soft, quiet atmosphere. He feels too lazy to open his eyes.

“Nothing,” Willie whispers in response, voice tilting like he’s smiling. “I’m just watching.”

1k of pure fluff and soft ghost boyfriends

COLORS BURST AS I CLOSE MY EYES

Willie/Alex

1k words

Fluff and angst, boys kissing, implied/referenced homophobia, cemetery

If Willie finds it strange that he’s lying on his own grave- his body six feet below him, rotten along with the coffin and reclaimed by the earth- he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he says, “Hey, Hotdog,” and gets down on his knees near Alex’s shoulder. His hair is spilling down around his face in soft waves and looking at him feels like looking at an old photograph, bleached into golds and browns and bronzes by the light.

PEANUT GALLERY

Willie/Alex

800 words

Fluff, Christmas fic, movie night, outsider POV

He turns to his right, hoping to commiserate with Alex, who now has a hot boyfriend and thus is assumably over his teenage movie crush- and then he freezes, mid-chew.

NO ONE LEAVES HOME

Alex & Bobby

1.3k words

Angst and fluff, friendship, implied/referenced homophobia

He strides to Bobby’s car with purpose and drops his backpack on the floor of the passenger seat before asking, “How do you feel about skipping the first period?”

Bobby, who was sucking on a mint until now, bites down on it. Alex hears it crunch as Bobby’s eyebrows shoot up. “Okay,” he says despite his surprise.

I needed some Alex&Bobby friendship. So.

ANGELS CAN FLY INTO THE SUN

Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters

1.5k words

Cathartic blasphemy, religious imagery & symbolism, implied/referenced homophobia

Luke won’t tell him where they’re going, but eventually, the streets morph into a familiar path, down past his parents’ house that stands unchanged despite everything, and then Bobby is parking them in front of Alex’s old church.

EXISTENCE SLIPPED LIKE SAND THROUGH OUR HANDS (BUT NOT ANYMORE)

Willie/Alex

2k words

Fluff, kissing in the rain

“Hm, looks like it’s going to rain,” Willie comments, head tipped back. Everything around them is colored in monochrome; reality is a far-away, unimportant concept, all the edges blurred and softened. It’s a good day to be content and in love, Alex thinks, touching the tips of his fingers to his breastbone.

YEARS I SPENT ON THE EDGE OF DISAPPEARANCE

Willie/Alex

SPN & JatP crossover

53k words

WIP (work in progress)

Alex spent 4 years living in Los Angeles (during which he met only the best people ever and found his passion for music) so his oldest brother and father could check up on his other brother (which is a healthy way of saying "stalking him"). When everything goes downhill and he's forced to move away with his family, he runs away to pursue his dream.

And then he fucking dies. Which would actually be a minor hitch in their plans- if Dean could just stop investigating his death.

I think it's safe to say SPN crossovers are my writing niche now, and I'm absolutely obsessed with JATP and Alex rn. So. This is what I have to offer to you guys.

[madamecristal]

In Your Starlight

Fic Located Here!

Relationships: Reggie/Alex/Luke/Bobby, Sunset Curve OT4

Audience: Teen and Up

Summary: 

Reggie decides that that he's going to get Alex and Luke together - by going out with them both.

Bobby thinks that's a terrible plan.

Per usual, Bobby is right, and Reggie gets kissed A LOT.

For @merihn  ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[may-grant]

everyone hc’s flynn being in the band’s friend group but god i would die if they show the little details of how she comes to be in this really tight friend group. like yes she supports the band but she doesnt really *know* them. so i wish she could get the power to see the boys and she can hang out with them without julie there having to be her middle man. because those boys would be just as supportive of her DJ’ing dreams if they really got to know her on their own terms!! like their banter would be hilarious and you know flynn would call them out when they need it. thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[between-two-fandoms]

Just Enough

Read on Ao3

When Bobby notices Luke acting off after a gig he takes up the job of getting his many dumbass boyfriends to talk about their emotions... even if Bobby himself sucks at emoting half of the time.

Word Count: 1,333

Bobby watched as Luke bounced around the venue they played at for their gig. His eyes trailed after the frontman of Sunset Curve watching as Luke let himself be happy for once, bouncing form table to table, merch bag clutched over his shoulder. The thing about Luke Patterson though, the thing that people didn't quite understand... was that he's the literal human embodiment of a puppy. He'll bounce around all day writing music and demanding attention and despite Bobby's protests he'd snuggle up against him on the couch in the studio. 

The downside of this meant that whenever Luke got sad he had that kicked-puppy-dog expression nailed down perfectly and if someone - namely Reggie or Alex - didn't nip it in the bud they'd have to deal with the fall out of a grumpy Luke the next day. He turned around to grab another drink from the bar counter - club soda, despite using their fakes apparently some bartenders still had morals - and when he turned back his immediate thought was fuck because Luke was sitting alone at a table, the merch bag forgotten at his feet. His shoulders were hunched over and as Bobby approached him he could see Luke's furrowed eyebrows and the frown etched across his face. When he finally got close enough to see what Luke was doing he could see the guitarist furiously scribbling something down onto a napkin. Luke's handwriting was absolute shit but Bobby didn't even think the shapes he was writing were letters. Slowly and tentatively he slid into the seat across from Luke. Bracing himself slightly he asked, "you wanna tell me what's up? Usually you're halfway through the crowd by now." Luke sniffled and a tear rolled down his cheek and Bobby silently prayed to whatever god that existed for Alex and Reggie to turn up again soon because Bobby was not equipped enough to deal with an emotional Luke right now.

“Nothin,’” Luke mumbled, snarling in frustration when his pen snapped and ink exploded all over his hand. Bobby instantly lurched over the table in time to catch the glass from shattering onto the ground. “‘S stupid,” the guitarist said, not at all looking like the Luke Bobby was used to talking… at all. But he knew from experience that ignoring Luke when he got like this would just make the situation once. 

“Luke if whatever happened got you this upset -” Bobby got cut off by a loud amp popping and Luke jumped a mile into the air. “Okay yeah no we’re not doing this here,” Bobby said, holding out a hand waiting for Luke to take it. It ended up taking longer than Bobby would’ve liked to get Luke out of the venue and back in the van. Luke fell into the van when Bobby let him try to climb into it himself so Bobby wrapped an arm around him and helped him lean against the side of the van, sinking to the ground with his head between his knees. Where the fuck were Reggie and Alex? Bobby thought, awkwardly trying to comfort Luke by rubbing circles against his back. 

“Said I was bad.” When Luke spoke Bobby almost missed it, exhausted to the point of almost passing out he almost missed the barely whispered words that bit into the cold night air. Bobby sagged next to Luke, using the wall of the van to support his back as he let his legs straighten out ahead of him.

“Who said that?” Bobby asked, trying not to look surprised when Luke wrapped his limbs around him, burying his face into Bobby’s shoulder. “Hey they’re wrong you know that right?” Bobby said, attempting to gain some traction. If Reggie and Alex came back to a broken down Luke then Bobby was dead. He was deader than dead. He would be buried six feet under by tomorrow morning and then some. Luke sniffled but he nodded and Bobby could feel his tears soaking through his t-shirt.

“Sometimes it just - it just gets too much,” Luke muttered, instantly relaxing more when Bobby started to play with his hair. He ran his fingers through it, trying to brush out the knots and braid the long locks like he’d always watch Alex due during movie nights. When he managed to tie it off with some loose fabric from his shirt the final product didn’t look half bad.

“You know you can always come to me right? I know I don’t… I don’t show I care much but I do Luke. You gotta know that, I do care about you,” Bobby said cursing to himself when his throat choked, his voice cracky and dry.

“I know,” Luke said, letting Bobby pull him closer until they were flush against each other. “‘S easy to forget.” Bobby hummed and pressed a soft kiss to the top of Luke’s head, smiling slightly into his now-braided hair.

“I don’t mind reminding you of it,” Bobby whispered, placing another kiss on the crown of Luke’s forehead when he pulled away so they could look at each other. The van doors opened and the moment was over, Reggie squeezing his way between the two of them and Alex standing outside of the van with his arms crossed looking at Bobby with a disapproving glare.

“No fair I missed a Luke snuggle?!” Reggie cried out, burying his face into Luke’s back. Bobby just gave Alex a helpless sort of what-are-you-going-to-do shrug when Reggie and Luke decided his lap made a good pillow for the night.

“You were supposed to drive us home,” Alex accused, staring at Bobby pointedly. Bobby knew Alex wasn’t really mad at him though, the twinkle in his eyes gave it away.

“Think of it this way,” Bobby said with a smirk when Luke’s loud snore cut through the air. “When we get back to my house you and I can get up to a ‘lil something something.” Alex choked in disgust, throwing the closest thing on hand - one of his drumsticks - at Bobby’s head but his aim was off and Bobby had to reach out to catch it before it hit the back of Reggie’s head. He twirled the stick in his hand before tossing it behind Alex’s drums grinning at the drummer’s annoyed huff.

“You’re disgusting,” Alex complained when Bobby pulled him in for a kiss without managing to disturb the sleeping bandmates in his lap. When Bobby started to pull away Alex let out a little whine and pressed his lips deeper into the kiss. 

“You know you love me,” Bobby said back when they pulled away from each other. “Want me to drive?” He asked seriously, knowing Alex had been getting little sleep throughout the week and didn’t want him getting behind the wheel if he was tired. Alex shook his head,

“Nah I’ll be fine. Think I drank like, twelve cups of coffee in that place. Man I can’t believe we found the one bartender in the entire world who wouldn’t buy our fakes.” Alex whined as Bobby planted another chaste kiss against his lips.

“Yeah well we’re illegal anyways. Besides we gotta get our boys back home Alex. Let me know if you want to switch!” Bobby shouted out as Alex swung the big doors of their Sunset Curve van shut. A few minutes later the engine roared to life and Alex’s trashy pop music was playing through the cassette player and Bobby couldn’t help but let out a laugh. If Luke ever found out Alex played pop in the van then he was going to get killed and they’d be in the market for a new drummer. Sitting on the floor of their van wedged between Alex’s drums and his boys Bobby let himself doze off into a peaceful sleep, knowing nothing would ever be able to tear them apart. It was just enough for Bobby to feel like maybe his life wasn't really in shambles. Just enough to finally give him a real sense of home.

[bobbyshawsupremacy]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex/Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Luke Patterson/Reggie Characters: Alex (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms) Additional Tags: i just wanted to return to my roots, ie bobby hurt/comfort, and now we have this, so. you're fuckin welcome ig, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Polyamory, Getting Together, Self-Esteem Issues, bobby be like has problems, but isn't that just the plot of everything i write, Kissing, So much kissing, im sorry to tell you this but, literally half the wordcount is the kissing, Tenderness, like so tender, THIS IS SO FUCKING SAPPY, Love Confessions, Pre-Canon, jon makes way too many metaphors pt 2374735, Recreational Drug Use, say it with me... weed, i return to my branding once more, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Sunset Curve (Julie and The Phantoms), i'm sorry for the bible references, there r like five, I don't know why this always happens, all my characters are catholic but it's not intentional

Summary:

It wasn’t that they didn’t like him, or that he didn’t love them- of course he did. He loved them like he’d never loved anyone in his life. He loved them like the trees loved soil, like the bees loved the flowers. He loved them like his lungs loved the air he breathed. But his lungs tended to stutter, tended to fail- it was the smokes, or it was the city air, and he couldn’t always breathe.

All this to say they couldn’t always love him. And that was okay. Bobby couldn’t always love himself either. - or; Reggie has a question, and Bobby goes to confession for them.

[kybee1497]

Hey kiwi! ‘We’re not alone cause we always have each other’ info? Please

Thanks for the ask Gracie!! 💜

I actually don’t have a lot written down for this lol, it’s sunset curve ot4 with Bobby angst. When Reggie said it, I thought it sounded like something he would say a lot and how the phantoms to have each other but they died and now Bobby is alone for the first time in his life. Before when his family was being shitty or he felt left behind. Reggie would say “we’re not alone cause we always have each other.” No matter what Bobby always had his boys, and now they’re gone and he’s alone and that’s all I got. Half of that I added on the spot though ngl 😂

Oh! Maybe a 5+1 of the times reggie said that about sunset curve and one time he didn’t, idk how to phrase that but ya know

[astorytotellyourfriends]

tell me it’s okay by justyrae

alex/bobby/luke/reggie | 8.7k | teen & up audiences

Bobby somehow becomes the band's unofficial therapist, but the secrets the other guys divulge end up having a profound effect on Bobby, and it all turns out very differently than any of them expected.

for @jatpficfest round one 🌈

[a-tomb-with-a-view]

Too Dumb To Learn From Past Experience

Tw: discussion of emotional abuse and mention of alcohol abuse

When they’d woken up as ghosts, Reggie hadn’t really had time to register that it didn’t hurt when one of his boys touched him, including himself, because Julie was screaming and he hated screaming, and his zip had dug into his ribs, and his mind was still a whirling mess of it’s always been the four of us.

Link in the reblogs

[the-anxious-gay-drummer]

ASHES WE ARE AND FROM ASHES WE RISE

Bobby/Alex/Luke/Reggie

Bobby-centric

4.8k

Angst with happy ending

Mom catches him after sundown, copper bowls laden with candles and fruit and herbs clutched to his chest and steers him back inside the house with a firm hand on his shoulder. She doesn’t yell and she doesn’t lecture and Bobby asks her, “How did you know?”

“Because,” she tells him, putting away the bowls, “death is also lonely.” She turns to face him, draped into the sunset colors slipping in through the window, her eyes dark and strong, and says, “You need to learn to put things to rest.”

Me, posting a Bobby-centric fic on his bday? More likely than you think.

(Yes, it is after midnight as I'm writing this but I posted the fic before midnight okay?)

[madamecristal]

Day 3: Under the Mistletoe

Fic Located Here!

Relationships: Reggie x Luke x Alex x Bobby

Additional Tags: Boys Kissing, Dorks in Love, First Kisses, Sunset Curve

Story Excerpt:

So Reggie had gone out and purchased mistletoe – three bundles to be exact. He hung them up over the doorway, the couch, and rehearsal space. He wasn’t exactly sure where Bobby expected his big moment to happen, so he wanted to cover all the potential spots.

For @sonsetcurve‘s Holiday Event 2020!

[sunsetcurvecuddles]

(Psssssst)

Bobbyalex 26, 28, 45

hi beloved. guess what time it is. @weneedglitter this is for you too <3 PROMPTS: 26: kissing the top of their head, 28: feeling for each other in the dark, 45: feeling their temperature

brief au context for anyone who isn't morgan or lilly: sunset curve alive au, bobbyalex are exes, the boys all run away from their terrible families and get an apartment together.

maybe we can grow from this | ao3 link in reblogs bobbyalex, sunset curve ot4 | g | 1k | sickfic, hurt/comfort, pining

--

It’s still dark when something stirs Alex awake. His first thought is that it must be Bobby’s phone going off with his work alarm, since in winter it sounds long before the break of dawn. But when he blinks and his eyes struggle to find purchase in the dark of the room, he realises it’s still mostly quiet.

They’re sleeping in their usual order, with Luke closest to the door, then Alex, then Reggie, then Bobby on the other far side of their bed. He can hear Luke snoring softly behind him, and sometimes Reggie talks in his sleep, and Bobby’s at what sounds like the end of a coughing fit, but he’s always coughing. It must still be very late at night, or very early in the morning.

Alex is about to sink back into sleep when Bobby starts up again. It’s wet and deep, like it’s tearing his chest apart on its way up to his throat, and it’s continuous. Bobby’s always coughing, but not usually like this.

“Bobby?” Alex whispers. His voice sounds too loud in the dark but Luke and Reggie don’t stir. Realistically, Alex guesses if they slept through everything that happened in their houses, and now through Bobby’s hacking, his talking won’t disturb them.

Bobby doesn’t answer. Now that his eyes are adjusting to the dark, Alex can see vague outlines, like Reggie curled up in the fetal position with his face inches from Alex’s own, and Bobby sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to the rest of them. The shape of him is hunched, his shoulders rounded forward, and Alex can see him running his hands through his own hair. He’s still coughing, and it’s starting to sound strained and harsh.

It feels like it’s been a constant, Bobby being sick, ever since they met together with packed bags and some stolen cash from Bobby’s dad and bolted to a new city far from their shitty families. Their tiny new apartment, with its impractical kitchenette and the constantly malfunctioning hot water and the combined bed frames they pushed together to save space, is wonderful in so many ways. Reggie laughs as loud as he wants and is always well-fed, Luke plays guitar and lies around on the couch without fear of retribution, and Alex can lock the door on the bathroom from the inside and doesn’t feel like he has to have eyes in the back of his head. It’s just that Bobby’s always sick.

Alex is fumbling, dopey and unsure of the distance, when he reaches across Reggie to press a hand to Bobby’s back. It’s an action with two purposes. Rubbing in gentle circles with hopes of providing at least some comfort, he also notes that the back of Bobby’s favourite worn-out sweater is damp with sweat, and he’s trembling, but he’s not burning up. Alex doesn’t need to get out of bed and find the thermometer to know Bobby doesn’t have a fever this time.

Finally, Bobby drags in a ragged breath that comes out a wheezing exhale. He slumps further forward, so Alex continues the circles for another few moments, to see if it comes back. In the daylight, he wouldn’t touch Bobby like this (he would try not to touch Bobby at all where it’s not strictly necessary. They never brush their teeth at the same time, so they can avoid being shoulder-to-shoulder at the little basin, so neither of them has to catch the other’s eyes in the mirror). However, there seems to be a silent, mutual understanding that when Bobby’s sick in the middle of the night, the rules are different.

“You done?” he asks, still keeping his voice low. “Need the inhaler? Meds?”

“Think ‘m good. Just got cold,” Bobby rasps, voice thick with congestion and sounding so exhausted Alex’s chest hurts in sympathy. “Wanna go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, okay,” murmurs Alex. Wants so badly to say please come get warm, but doesn’t dare. Instead, he says, “Lie between me and Reggie? He’s been kicking me all night anyway.”

Bobby hesitates, still shivering under Alex’s hand, but only for a moment. “Don’t wanna wake him up,” he grunts, and Alex breathes a sigh of relief, because that’s as close as he’ll get to a yes.

“There’s enough room,” Alex assures him, even though that’s an inaccurate statement about anything relating to their apartment. And because it’s always been easier when he’s made it about himself instead of trying to give Bobby what he needs, Alex tugs at the back of Bobby’s sweater and adds, “C’mon, I’m tired.”

Even on his shaky limbs, Bobby is so careful as he eases himself over Reggie and into the spot between him and Alex. It’s a tight squeeze. Alex tries to push back against Luke, but Bobby follows him. His arms find their way around Alex’s waist, fingers brushing Alex’s waist and back where his shirt has ridden up. The skin to skin makes Alex shiver, even though he’s not the one who’s cold. Bobby nudges his head up under Alex’s chin and his whole body relaxes, one long shudder from his head to his toes as he settles. In a tiny lapse of self control, from muscle memory and instinct and years of things being different to how they are now, Alex presses a kiss to the top of Bobby’s head.

As soon as he becomes aware of what he’s doing, he stops, moving his head up to bury his face in Bobby’s hair instead. Instead of pulling back or freezing up or muttering, Alex, don’t -- Bobby just sighs, coughs slightly as he does, and Alex realises he’s already mostly asleep.

He’s just chasing the warmth, Alex tells himself, as Bobby snuggles close and Alex runs a hand down his back and up again. He ignores any sensations that might be arising in his chest. Any regret poking around in his ribs, any loneliness in his lungs, any yearning tangling up the base of his throat. It has to be enough that Bobby’s here at all. That they’re all here, and they’re safe, and Reggie doesn’t have as many nightmares and Luke doesn’t stay up until the early hours of the morning bouncing off the walls and getting into trouble, and no one locks Alex in his room away from the people he cares about. This has to be enough. Alex isn’t allowed to want anything else.

Bobby’s not well and he wants to be warm. So Alex keeps him warm.

[daintyduck99]

For the works in progress challenge what are you willingbto share about Stars Collided?

Kept On Climbing Til Our Stars Collided is a Luke/Bobby/Reggie/Julie story where Bobby and Luke are in the middle of a Friends With Benefits situation (as far as Bobby knows—Luke thinks they're dating). Bobby meets Julie in the kitchen one Morning After, which is a little weird to him for many reasons that he refuses to name (but also because Reggie already left for work).

He learns that Julie and Reggie have just started dating and basically the whole story is this rolling ball of Jealousy and Miscommunication. Their relationship (the OT4) is juxtaposed with the success of Sunset Curve—it's (seemingly) collapsing as the band takes off.

I have a prologue written! It needs some rewriting, but then I might post it already once its been rewritten/edited because it stands on its own in a way.