#reggie alex and julie sibling energy
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Ray’s almost done bandaging the many cuts on his right hand by the time Reggie finds his voice, “I don’t understand,” he whispers. Ray pauses and looks up at him, “What don’t you understand?” he asks lightly. Reggie blinks, “Why aren’t you yelling?” “Why should I be yelling?” Reggie stares at him open-mouthed, and Ray sighs, “Did you break the glass on purpose?”
The kid standing on his doorstep is tall, or at least he would be if his shoulders weren’t hunched, his eyes glued to the ground. His straight blonde hair flops into his eyes, and he twists and pulls at his fingers, but he doesn’t look up or speak, not when Ray introduces himself, not when Ray signs the paperwork, or when his social worker says her goodbyes. Instead, he stands in Ray’s kitchen and tries his best to disappear
Just when he’s starting to think he’ll explode, Alex materializes by his side, flanked by a pretty, curly-haired girl he thinks he might have seen around and a gawky brown-haired boy. “Alex!” he yells, flinging his arms around the other boy’s shoulders. Alex goes stiff for a second before he buries his head in Luke’s shoulder. “You suck,” Luke murmurs into Alex’s hair. He had never been more scared than when he’d showed up at their lunch table yesterday, and Alex wasn’t there. Alex pulls away and rolls his eyes, “Get over yourself, Patterson,” but his eyes are shiny, so Luke knows he doesn’t mean it.
Julie groans and throws the flashcards down in disgust, “I can’t focus.” Flynn grins, “Does it have anything to do with the fact that one of the hottest guys in school is currently in your garage?” “Something like that,” she sighs, rolling over onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.
It’s finally done! My “Reggie and Alex deserve to be Molina’s” propaganda AU.
15 Chapters. 22,297 Words. Read on AO3 now.
#julie and the phantoms#foster care au#read on ao3#julie molina#alex mercer#reggie peters#luke patterson#flynn taylor#willie nolastname#eventual:#reggie molina#alex molina#featuring#juke#willex#best dad ray molina#caleb covington being a bastard#protective luke patterson#reggie alex and julie sibling energy#rated: t#for mild language
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JATP as Percy Jackson Cabins-
. Julie is DEFINITELY a Hecate kid, with her bringing the boys back to life and them constantly referencing her being a witch she definitely has that power over the mist.
. Willie is a Hermes kid, Hermes is the god of travelers and thieves/petty criminals and he is constantly traveling on his skateboard and breaking into places.
. Luke is an Apollo kid, let’s be honest that guy is music incarnated and has been bless by Apollo either way. He’d definitely fight with a battle guitar.
. Reggie is harder to place but I’d think he’d be a either an Apollo kid for his love of music or he’d be a Satyr that is blissfully unaware of danger but somehow always gets kids back to camp.
. Alex would be an Aphrodite kid hands down. He constantly doubts his beauty and intelligence but he also has a passion for fashion and dancing. He’d definitely be able to Charm Speak but somehow never realize.
. Flynn would be a Zeus kid all the way. She’s sharp and smart and feisty and reminds me a lot of Thalia. She’s definitely super powerful much like her dad.
. Carrie would be a Hades kid, but more in the way that Hazel is emotionally. She’d possess the powers of the dead but she’d be much happier with her situation compared to her half sibling counter parts.
. Bobby would be full scale Hades kid. With a constant grimace and loner energy he’d control the dead and wouldn’t have friends if the boys didn’t constantly harass him to play with them.
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Pssst I'm a sucker for kidfic can you tell us about Sunset skater kid fic plz and thank you
OH BOY CAN I
So this is set in my We Could All Be the Best Kind of Friends series where Sunset Curve are all dating each other and meet Willie bc he’s the Rolling Stone reporter who does their first cover interview and they end up bringing him into their relationship. Bobby is also dating Ray and Rose (which will be established in another fic I’m working on). I’ve decided to refer to them collectively as the Greater Sunset Polycule after the Greater Phantoms Polycule My Beloved
And so the kid fic needs a lil backstory, which is that the band decided they wanted to adopt kids together. They decided that Luke and Willie would be the ones to apply, because Willie has the most stable job as a reporter and Luke technically makes more than the rest of the band as the lead singer and songwriter. So they applied, and then over the course of the next two years they repeatedly got their hopes up and then hearts broken after adoption after adoption fell through for one reason or another. During this time, Ray and Rose (who are t4t) got pregnant with Julie, and the boys kind of gave up on adopting and devoted their energy to helping with the new baby. Until Bobby (who is trans) decided fuck it, we want a kid we should have a kid, I’ll be the one to carry it. Alex and Reggie (the only cis guys) did the swirl method to determine a donor and nine (miserable) months later (pregnant Bobby is a Monster) when Carrie came out with little wisps of blonde hair they all knew Alex was the father, but put Reggie on the birth certificate so they both have an “official” link to Carrie.
Fast forward four years, which is when this fic begins. Carrie and Julie are four, and Ray is pregnant with Carlos. They’re all happy, and have completely forgotten about the adoption thing. Until Willie gets a call. There’s a four year old named Flynn who needs a home, and they want to move fast because the group home she’s in is overcrowded and Luke and Willie seemed like a good match. And so the fic is the whole polycule deciding if they should adopt Flynn or not (spoiler alert of course they do) and welcoming her into their family.
Snippet below the cut!
They end up choosing Luke, because even though they share no DNA, Carrie is basically a mini copy of him. The rest of them are there as backup, because if the way Carrie reacted when they told her about the baby is any indication, they need all hands on deck for the inevitable nuclear meltdown.
“Okay, girls,” Luke sighs, once they’ve gotten the girls settled with ice cream. “You know how you’re gonna have a new sibling soon?”
Julie perks up, looking around the room. “Is the baby here?”
“No, honey,” Reggie chuckles. “They’re still in Papi’s tummy.”
Julie slumps in disappointment while Carrie eyes Ray’s stomach as if a demon is going to pop out of it. Not a great sign for what’s about to come.
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i don’t know how to put this eloquently but reggie and alex have the exact same energy as me and my older sister. like reggie and i are both like “i love you ! ☺️ you’re the best! 🥰💕” and alex and my sister are like “stupid. literal idiot. dumbass. i wish you wouldn’t speak. come hide behind me.”
#LIKE I DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT...SIBLING ENERGY BUT LIKE#SPECIFICALLY CLOSE OLDER/YOUNGER SIBLING#anyway#jatp#julie and the phantoms#umana says stuff#alex mercer#reggie peters
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Even more Julie and the Phantoms headcanons!
I made two previous posts with my headcanons about this amazing show (links here and here) and I thought of a few more! (Some of these are sad and I’m sorry)
- Luke’s parents are older, having already have had full lives and careers by the time Luke was born (Luke’s mom is a nurse and his dad is an accountant). His parents tried for years to have kids, but it never worked out. Around their late thirties/early forties they were finally able to Luke. He became their pride and joy: their little miracle baby
- Luke was always a momma’s boy growing up and was never that close with his dad. (His dad was always quiet and reserved and didn’t know how to reach out to Luke), but when Luke and his mom’s relationship started to be noticeably strained (before Luke ran away), Mr. Patterson tried to connect with Luke. (Mr. Patterson is not a man known for talking, especially leading a conversation with someone as forceful and passionate as Luke; he thinks, what do teenage boys like?? Baseball? Star Wars? Pizza?). Unfortunately, his actions fall flat from years of not knowing how to connect with Luke and his avoidance of the one topic that Luke cares most about, but is the cause for the problems in his family: music. His talks just make Luke feel even more alienated
- Ok so I’m really on this Luke’s family backstory train. Luke gets a lot of his energy and mannerisms from his mom, however, no one really knew where his proclivity for music came from. No one on his mom’s side has any music talent and his dad side never said anything (though his side doesn’t say much). Turns out Luke shares a lot in common with his paternal grandfather. His grandfather was a pilot in World War II. He was known in the military for bringing energy and fun around the camp; making friends, playing games, and leading campfire songs with his beat up guitar. (Luke’s grandpa is this guy {link slightly NSFW} and one one can convince me otherwise). However, the war left him, like a lot like a lot of other men from the war, with PTSD and without proper therapy and mental health counseling to deal with his symptoms and no way to process what he had been through. A lot of his spark died down, masking his pain with solemn silence (and passing those traits onto his own son)
- Reggie’s mom had only lived in LA for a few months when she met Reggie’s dad, and she had just turned 23 years old when she realized she was pregnant with Reggie’s older brother; but she thinks, she can make this work. Sure she hasn’t know him that long and he’s a little older than her, but he has a steady job; and she knows she did eventually want to be a mother
- Reggie’s mom was from Montana and every summer when Reggie and his siblings were little, she would bring them to visit few weeks in the summer. However, around the time Reggie became a teenager, and money became tight, his mom had to work full time at the local kmart, and the Peter’s were unable to go on this yearly family trip. Reggie was really sad, but he likes to look on the bright side; now he has more time to play gigs with Sunset Curve (he does miss the horses though)
- I know its a popular opinion in the fandom that Reggie’s parents were physically abusive, but I really don’t think so. I think his parents fought with each other and Reggie and his siblings were caught in the middle. They were trying to stay together for the kids but with their constant fighting it might have actually been easier (and a lot less traumatizing) for the family if they got divorced
- Alex had a golden retriever growing up. Part of their perfect family aesthetic™. but, man, did Alex love that dog (plus dogs are one of the few things he’s not allergic to, unlike cats)
- Alex’s mom is a stay-at-home mom and spends a lot of her time organizing and fundraising for their church
- Alex and Luke met when they were really young and Luke’s mom was so excited about it. She knew the Mercer’s were from a good respectable home and Alex was such a good little kid (hoping maybe it would rub off on Luke). Alex’s parents were not the biggest fans of little Luke, but were so happy Alex found a close friend, that they let Alex hang out with Luke all the time (as long as the Patterson’s hosted)
- Bobby’s mom packed up and left his family when he was 12 years old (around the same age Carrie was when her mom left - not that Trevor had ever shared that with Carrie) and from then on it was just Bobby, his dad, and his football playing older brothers. His dad and brothers’ coping mechanisms became drinking and sports, leaving little guitar playing Bobby, who had no interest in either of those things, to deal with it on his own
- Trevor is a loving and devoted father, but has no idea how to communicate with Carrie. The two of them have a lot in common but have no idea because Trevor keeps his past locked up tight, even from his daughter (he can’t help see so many traits from his boys in her too. And those he could never voice)
- Reggie and Willie both love the Princess Bride and will act out the sword fight scene with each other
- Reggie loves dogs (obviously) and they love him, but animals hate Luke. His excitable puppy energy makes actual excited puppies be like ‘you are a human, why are you acting like this????’ and cats loath it.
- Reggie died first, then Luke and last was Alex. Watching his best friends die next to him is why he cried for 25 years.
- When Reggie cries its silent; not making a single sound, from years of acting like his parent’s fighting doesn’t affect him. When Alex cries its with grumbles and sighs, almost like he’s disgusted thats it happening, wiping snot from his nose with a huff and an eye role. When Luke cries it’s LOUD. He wears his heart on his sleeve for everyone around him can hear. In Trevor’s memory his wails almost sound like a melody
#some of these are very out of pocket but what can I say#I love creating character backstories#julie and the phantoms#luke patterson#reggie peters#alex mercer#bobby shaw#trevor wilson#carrie wilson#willie nolastname#willie jatp#alex jatp#reggie jatp#bobby/trevor#no unfinished business#renew julie and the phantoms#allieisnothere#my jatp headcanons
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here's my deeply controversial jatp take for the day:
we often talk about reggiealex having sibling energy and alex having big brother energy*, but as an actual older sibling, i would like to inform you: reggie is the big brother of this dynamic.
EVIDENCE:
reggie is unafraid to be dorky, owns his weird interests, makes bad jokes. this is the confidence and security of an older sibling.
alex is slightly cagier and more easily embarrassed; very much the kid who would roll his eyes and say "getoffme!!!" if you ruffled his hair; "i'm sorry about them" gives off such 'oh my god stop embarrassing me in front of my friend' energy
alex ACTS done with reggie a lot of the time; rolling his eyes, making snarky comments, etc, but in fact loves him deeply, in a way that mirrors... carlos's behaviour with julie, actually
meanwhile reggie is COMPLETELY NOT FUSSED by alex when he acts like this, takes it in stride, does not seem affected by it whatsoever
reggie 1000% believes in alex and knows that all alex needs is to believe in himself, too ("own your awesomeness"). is always the first one to jump in and reassure alex with wise advice even when he has no idea what he's talking about ("i'm sure there will be others"). big sibling energy for sure. he just wants his lil bro to be okay and to see how amazing he is :(
this concludes my argument for why reggie actually has big brother energy
(*all takes are good takes and i love literally any interpretation of any jatp dynamic)
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more jatp headcanons but it’s just friendship/relationship dynamics (im tryna go through as many as possible that weren’t in the previous headcanon post and it’s only going to be duos because any more might make my brain hurt)
-alex and luke are peak friends to lovers to exes to friends. they knew each other insanely well from dating and use that to strengthen their friendship. there’s no animosity between them because both of them know for a fact that they’re better off as friends. they can pretty much have a whole conversation without saying a word.
-reggie and alex are best friends for sure. they have every single detail about the other memorized. like reggie could tell you alex’s most embarrassing moment in middle school and alex could tell you reggie’s favorite country songs in alphabetical order. reggie can clock the exact moment when alex is starting to be anxious about something and alex knows exactly what to do when reggie is dealing with his ptsd. plus alex is the only person allowed to call him reginald and reggie is the only person allowed to call alex, alexander.
-more reggie and alex bc i said so. y’all know for a FACT that after the finger kiss luke did to reggie the first time reggie and alex were alone alex looked at reggie and said “was that your official entrance to the holy shit luke is so hot and i hate him club?” and reggie just nodded and started rambling about that moment for 20 minutes (julie also frequently comes to the holy shit luke is so hot and i hate him club meetings)
-luke and reggie are the dumbass duo supreme. they’re both so smart but somehow manage to feed off each other’s inability to see common sense. but they can and will protect one another to the death (or ya know crossover). luke usually asks reggie to help while he’s drafting a song before luke takes it over to julie
-luke and julie created soulmates (along with willex) just the classic badass independent gf and her boyfriend who is literally in awe of everything she does. v soft always. songwriting powerhouses. julie loves listening to luke rant about greek classics and luke loves listening to julie rant about music theory and different styles of art. can and will kick your ass singing a whole new world for karaoke.
-julie and reggie are peak sibling energy. reggie always helps julie out with school work and they spend a lot of time enjoying each other’s company. so many inside jokes. they’ll spend time playing the piano together and reggie spends a lot of time teaching julie bass (which luke loves). one time reggie came to julie and asked her in spanish if he could borrow one of her skirts to wear and julie was like hold tight i gotchu and she grabbed them a black tennis skirt and a black leather skirt for him to keep
-continuing on with reggie in a skirt. reggie was shy about it but wanted to show the boys so julie dragged alex and luke into the studio and told them to sit tight until reggie came out in their black tank top, red flannel and black tennis skirt and alex and luke were stunned and both had a moment where they were like holy shit reggie looks so hot. by the end of the day all of the friends had seen reggie in a skirt so they had to start a new club. the “holy shit reggie looks so hot in a skirt and he has no idea” club
-alex and julie are besties. full stop. they pretty much always know what the other is thinking and it’s usually “reggie and luke are dumbasses but we love them” and they also get together to walk about how hot their boyfriends are
-alex and julie but a very specific instance. alex was terrified about julie finding out that him and luke dated and this was how it happened. the whole gang was hanging out in the studio. alex and willie were talking amongst themselves, luke and julie were song writing and the others were talking about how flynn was learning to play trumpet. “ok ok truth or dare” willie asked alex. “truth” “how many boyfriends have you had before me” alex sucked in a breath and stared at willie for a moment before responding. “one” willie smirked. “who was it?” “i am not answering that oh my gosh” willie just smirked again and called over to luke. “hey luke! who was alex’s first boyfriend?” luke didn’t even look up for the song he was working on. “me. why?” alex choked. both julie and willie said “i knew it!” after alex and julie talked, he knew he really had nothing to worry about.
-alex and willie also invented soulmates. you will never find a softer, sweeter pair of partners. always teasing each other. certified hot couple of the friend group (everyone voted and of course they would win look at them! plus willie so that’s an automatic win). willie loves making alex blue screen but the few times alex has made willie blue screen (it was the best moments of his afterlife) soft kisses on cheeks and pulse points and knuckles. always balancing each other out. alex can and will kick someone’s ass if they hurt willie. willie can and will prank someone until they leave alex alone. the whole friend group knows the loft is willex’s spot. they usually go up their if one of them isn’t doing well.
-flynn and carrie are sassy wlw. flynn is fiery and carrie is icy so they balance each other out. they absolutely always know everything that’s going on. flynn’s love language is words of affirmation and carrie’s is acts of service. flynn is the only person that will make carrie soft. luke made the mistake of making fun of carrie being a simp for flynn and carrie spent 15 minutes roasting the absolute shit out of him. (alex recorded the whole thing)
#julie and the phantoms#jatp#jatp headcanons#julie molina#luke patterson#reggie peters#alex mercer#willie ortega#carrie wilson#flynn taylor#brenn’s jatp headcanons
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I was bored and this idea would not get out of my head so I give you:
Masks I’ve seen/found that I think the jatp characters would wear
Julie:
Bc butterflies!!
Juke matching ace masks because I said so:
Tell me juke wouldn’t have matching ace masks I dare you
But also matching Reggie & Julie masks bc sibling bi/bi solidarity:
Reggie:
Idk this one just has Reggie vibes what can I say and also adhd Reggie getting a mask relating to his special interest makes me unreasonably happy (Julie bought it for him)
Luke:
Luke 100% got the first one out of pettiness bc Julie is just constantly telling him he doesn’t need like 5 guitars and then Julie got him the second one bc she saw it and thought of her himbo ghost bf
Alex:
Tell me these don’t give extreme Alex energy I dare you
Matching willex masks:
I mean come on 1) matching willex masks is wholesome and 2) it’s tiedye with the same colors and design(ish) as willies iconic museum date crop top
Willie:
Cow print bc I saw my sisters friend wearing one one time and it had big willie energy and skateboards bc that’s his special interest!! (Alex definitely got him the skateboard one)
Flynn:
The leopard and camo ones just have total Flynn energy and just Flynn with a little lesbian strip mask is something that can be so personal—
Also Flynn & Willie (& Reggie too) friendship is something we deserve and also just imagine. Flynn and Willie being chaotic besties confusing the hell out of everyone with their gaydhd chaos and she/they-he/they solidarity and matching lemon masks okay
Carrie:
She gets so many bc her fashion sense is on point and the Carrie vibes here are strong
And finally, matching flarrie masks:
Bc flarrie rights!! and it’s what we deserve after 6 months of waiting tbh
#kates jatp thoughts#I spent wayyy too much time on this lmao#also random but I’m just gonna say it: fuck group projects like holy shit#netflixwewantjatp2#julie and the phantoms#jatp#julie molina#luke patterson#juke#reggie peters#willie wilbur williamson#willie nolastname#willex#alex mercer#carrie wilson#flynn nolastname#flynn jatp#flarrie
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An Underrated Alex Line is when Carlos comes into the garage ep1 and asks Julie if her ghost friend is hideous and Alex laughs, looks at Reggie, and says "He can see you."
The best friend/sibling energy is so strong and it makes me laugh every time
#jatp#julie and the phantoms#alex jatp#reggie jatp#they're bffs and brothers#all y'all with siblings can't tell me this isn't exactly like something you've said to a sibling
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When Fate Intervenes // Luke Patterson
IN WHICH: Fate intervenes with a trio of musicians on the night that was supposed to be legendary. Fate puts the reader with a special ability that may or may not be able to save them. Fate puts a clairvoyant, an accidentally upsized pizza and thirteen year old oddly obsessed with a rock band.
Warnings: Swearing, food poison, death, and fluff
Words: 2.8k
A/N: Time to get rid of some fic ideas from my TOO LONG of a list. It’s Julie fault, she keeps encouraging each fic idea I tell her.
TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!
Masterlist
The Orpheum, 1995
The line up comprised of countless girls wearing homemade band shirts for the new band performing. Your little sister, at thirteen years old, had pleaded for weeks if not three months to go watch it. It was odd since she was more in the pop scene than the rock music. Your parents would never let her go to the rock show at night, so it was you or no show. It took a promise of doing your chores for an entire month and her dessert for two months. That was why you stood beside Harper among the fangirls while you clicked through the camera you’d saved up for years.
“I’m so excited.” Harper buzzed dancing on your feet as the time on her watch dwindled down more and more.
Your eyes flitted from the screen to the ball of energy you called your little sister, “I can tell. Which one do you have a crush on?”
“Reggie. He’s the bassist and so fucking-sorry freaking cool.” Harper gushed, “A good portion of the fans are obsessed with the lead singer Luke. Bobby is the rhythm guitarist, and he’s a ladies man, but he’s sweet about it.”
“And you’d know that how?” You questioned letting go of the camera around your neck. Your e/c eyes meeting her matching pair of irises; well yours were a bit more vibrant.
“I just know.” Harper retorted before beaming as she roughly poked the pin she’d made herself, “This represents all of them. Red for Reggie’s plaid shirt he always has, orange for Bobby’s love of oranges, yellow for Luke’s energy and pink for Alex because he loves the colour!”
The pin had their band design with Sunset Curve on it with the words outlined with a sunset made up of red, orange, yellow and pink just as Harper had pointed out. By far, it was her best work, but that was expected from an art student at Los Feliz High School. An art school for artists and performers. You attended for photography and creative writing just as Harper attended for art.
“That might be your best work Harps.” You complimented your little sister who shivered in the cool night breeze. You didn’t even think about tugging off your warm jacket to place on her shoulders.
You’d rather be cold than your little sister no matter how much you fought with each other, the Y/L/N siblings had each other’s backs no matter what.
“Thanks.” Harper murmured, leaning closer, “So do I meet Reggie?”
Your eyes widened slightly at her subtle goading to a part of your life was cinematic. It was a piece of you that very few people knew about, only your parents and Harper. Like most of the women in your paternal lineage, you carried the ability to foresee events in the future. A clairvoyant.
“Harper!” You scolded the young teenager who blatantly was just over-excited to see the band she’d been talking about constantly.
Harper’s cheeks turned a cherry blossom pink under the crappy lighting from the marquee sign. Even in the light, you noticed the changes in her face as she matured into a young woman, her cheeks while still full didn’t have that baby cheek look now. You saw a stubborn zit that you could see under the makeup that didn’t entirely match her skin tone. It caused an ache in your heart to know that soon she’d have the experience of heartbreak.
“Sorry!”
“You told me these guys are my age. Need I remind you that you are thirteen? If anyone older than thirteen makes an advance I’ll put my softball skills to the test.” You sternly informed the shorter girl with the pout that screamed rebellion, “Just be a kid Harps.”
“Like you said Y/N, I’m thirteen. I’m not a kid anymore.” Harper dropped the attitude to adopt a more mature soft tone. You could see the tinge of sadness in her eyes at losing the part of life where it was easy.
“I know. I can wish you’ll stay that annoying little kindergartener that stole my clothing.” You chuckled, “You’ll always be the Stephanie to my DJ.”
The two Y/L/N siblings momentarily glanced around before hugging as quickly as possible, they still had reputations to uphold. Had you been actually paying attention, you and Harper would have noticed the commotion from the people behind you.
As you and Harper had the sweet moment, the very band performing had raced out the alley into the street. What brought you back to the surroundings was the pizza boy delivering the pizza box to you.
“Wait, we ordered a small!” You exclaimed finding the boy holding an extra-large pizza. You only received a shrug in response with the right change given back.
Two things happened with this food mistake, you didn’t have to pay more than what you actually ordered, and you still got the larger pizza. However, the Orpheum didn’t allow outside food, meaning you’d have to force-feed yourself all the pizza or trash more than half.
“We could shar-” Harper was cut off as a blinding white light became your focal point. Harper knew what was happening by the specific groan coming from your lips.
A nauseating scent of cheap meat, gas and chemicals flooded your sense of smell in the dingy alleyway. It was nighttime with a few people in the general vicinity with a dilapidated table and mismatched chairs on the walls’ edge. A poorly made sign with Sam & Ella’s and going by the vendor selling the hot dogs the name fit. Sam & Ella sounded like salmonella.
From a distance, you couldn’t quite hear the conversation between three male teens, but you had a bad feeling. They all migrated to a ratty couch that had been better days, a rat wouldn’t even crawl on it you swore.
The first boy had slicked back hair with rosy cheeks you dubbed innocent and cute that juxtapositioned his rocker attire. He had polished black leather shoes, pleather if his choice of food was an indication, a leather jacket and a red plaid shirt around his waist. His attention focused on the two guys beside him. In the middle, the boy had the blue hood of his sweater pulled over his messy brown hair as if hiding. Nothing stood out about him, and it seemed like that was intentional. On the other side, the last one was the tallest with his blonde hair hidden by the backwards black hat. A distressed dark grey jean jacket open to proudly display his pink hoodie. Each one wearing black pants and adorning rings.
“This is awesome, you guys. We’re playing the Orpheum!” The middle boy joyfully spoke head in the clouds instead of the questionable surroundings. He arguably had the loveliest smile you had ever seen, and his friends had nice smiles at that as well.
Yet even if this hadn’t taken place, however, it still felt like you were intruding on something incredibly private, “Why am I being shown this?”
Your question went unsurprisingly unanswered.
“I can’t even count how many bands have played here! And then ended up being huge!” He happily sunk into the back of the couch, thinking of all the bands he had CDs to in his room, “We’re gonna be legends!”
“Oh.” You breathed as you caught a whiff from the boys that quickly gave you the understanding of why you saw this. You could only smell what you had dubbed as death, the scent unchanging from the first time you’d encountered it.
The death stench accompanied a clairvoyant vision if the object of your vision was sick or about to die. The first time you encountered, it was a vision of two cars colliding, the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal, the scent of burning flesh overpowering the milder stench. The next morning school was cancelled after a teacher died in a car accident on the way to work.
“Eat up, boys. ’Cause after tonight, everything changes.” The only vocal one continued with his two friends silently listening. The trio toasted their food together.
“No!” You exclaimed as each boy took a bite. You held your breath, hoping that the inevitable in the vision wouldn’t occur.
Unfortunately, it was right away the warning appeared. The blonde one the most affected, “That’s a new flavour.”
“Chill, man. Street dogs haven’t killed us yet.” The leather jacket guy proudly spoke, the least one concerned.
Even the guy in the middle was concerned but ultimately continued eating.
“Stop it!” You shouted, but it was no use. As with every vision, you had the potential to stop it from coming true, but while in the vision, you couldn’t interact with the people or surrounding. No matter how much you wanted to slam the food out of their hands.
But one thing sends shivers down your spine. The one in the middle made direct eye contact with you. Something that had never happened before nor to any previous clairvoyants. He kept eye contact as he slowly grew sicker and sicker.
The three boys had no chance as the ambulance rushed to the alleyway to save them. The paramedics weren’t as quick as the vendors who’d already packed and fled to protect their own hides.
You watched as the paramedics did everything in their power to save the young teenagers with everything possible. Just like Luke sang in their last song, the boys felt the darker version of an electric hammer to the heart. The clocks freezing in place as they each took their last breathe in the oddest of deaths. You saw the blonde guy die painfully first before followed by the formerly hooded one, the terrified cries of the last one haunting your phantom ears.
How did three healthy teenagers die on the same night of the exact nature within minutes of each other without one surviving? Maybe it had something to do with the hot dogs chilling in the liquid that was a cesspool of bacteria compounded with tained condiments from battery acid.
You roughly came out of the vision shaking and pale-faced frantically scanning the surroundings. Harper had a grip on the extra large pizza box while the other tightly held yours to ground you in the present.
“Are you okay?” Harper softly questioned with the panic hidden inside her body. Harper knew that this vision had been one of the bad ones. The haunted look in your eyes hinting towards death in the near future.
“We need to go.” You frantically replied, grabbing the pizza that would hopefully have a hand in saving three hopeful teens.
Your gym teacher would be proud of the distance diminished and speed you kept towards the area that would further shatter you. Foreseeing death and sometimes unable to stop it always had a nasty impact on you.
“Where are we going?” Harper yelled, “We’ll miss the doors opening!”
“We’ll miss them if we don’t hurry up!” You shouted back at the disgruntled little sister but at the moment that didn’t matter.
What mattered was three hungry teenagers about to gorge themselves on death dogs if you didn’t make it in time. It appeared for the first time you’d actually manage to stop the deaths, unlike the previous three times.
“-tonight. Everything changes.” The chill-inducing rasp helped navigate you to the disgusting couch. Your cold hand slammed the hotdog from the blonde’s hand, the shocked reaction halting the other two.
“Don’t...eat...it.” You heaved bending over at the waist to catch your breath. Wheezing sounded from your little sister as the running and seeing her favourite band up close settled.
“Excuse me! I paid for that hotdog!”
“You’d be buying yourself death literally. Your dreams of playing the Orpheum would be extinct.” You sighed, chugging the water from the pocket of Harper’s backpack for a few seconds before the owner took it back.
“Okay, look I don’t know how you found us but-”
“You don’t have to believe me ’cause I sure as hell wouldn’t have but don’t jeopardize your dreams. Look my little sister wanted to see your show so I brought her and we ordered a pizza. They fucked up the order by giving us an extra-large pizza. We’ll barely eat a quarter of it, and the venue is strict on the rules.” You rambled using tour hands to elaborate the story before Harper roughly elbowed your ribs, “Ow!”
“Oops.” Harper faked a sugar-sweet smile for your benefit as the interaction with the three musicians slowly dove into embarrassment.
“-sorry. You’d be doing us a favour by not wasting our money and food. What do you say?” You hesitantly asked the trio who didn’t speak vocally; their eyes meeting in a silent conversation.
Reggie sighed as he begrudgingly dropped his hotdog in the bin near the couch, “Pizza outranks street dogs even if the dogs are heaven and to die for.”
“Literally.” You grumbled forcefully pushing the obscenely large pizza box into the middle one’s stomach, “I’m Y/N, this is my little sister Harper.”
“Hi.” Harper shyly waved with cheeks turning a dust pink concealed by the dark of the alleyway. The boys’ lips all quirked at the sudden contrast from the confident sister slamming her elbow in you to the bashful teen.
“I’m Luke. This is Reggie and Alex.” The hooded one, Luke, introduced his bandmates as best he could with his hands occupied by the pizza box.
Without the threat of death by the hot dog, you actually took the time to look at Luke with appraising eyes. His eyes were like oceans of blues, greens and even a brown that both exhilarated you; the desire of studying them not surprising. His smile outshone the sun on the hottest day in August.
“Nice to meet you.” You informed the trio with a beaming smile that matched your starstruck little sister. The interaction gave you the opportunity for immense and untiring future teasing on the teen that daydreamed of the bassist.
You had to admit the trio were incredibly attractive.
“Come back to the dressing room. We can eat there out of the cold.” Alex courteously invited the two formerly strangers. His blues sharing his pure intentions to repay you for saving their lives and offering pizza.
“Of course.” Harper nodded her head with her eyes barely meeting the ones of the boys. The shell was broken when Reggie piped up.
“That’s a really cool pin! Where’d you find it?”
Gated Community, Los Angeles, 2002
An off-tune humming filled the modestly sized home in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California with the sound of water splashing. Doing the dishes was a mindless chore that typically didn’t bother you, but the pain in your lower back protested. You’d have used the dishwasher, but the thing was perpetually breaking down. Didn’t seen essential to replace when washing dishes by hand was just as productive.
Or it was when you didn’t have the extra weight in your midsection, a symbol of your love with your husband. In fact, you would have avoided doing dishes if you hadn’t just used the last clean plate and glass at breakfast plus Luke hadn’t been home in the previous week.
Sunset Curve had gone on a press tour for the upcoming album and tour planned for next year.
“Oof.” You moaned as the little rascal once more hit your bladder, “Are you breaking electric guitars in there?”
“Not a soccer player?”
“With you as their father? Not likely.” You snorted as the sudden appearance of Luke became clear. You hadn’t been expecting him, “I missed you. We missed you.”
As had it since you first told him Luke’s warm hand came to rest on the front of your swollen belly. In a short month, you’d be cradling the newest member of the Patterson family with Luke singing the lullaby he solely made for baby P.
“Still haven’t given in?” The lead guitarist teased you with a beaming smile splitting his face, “Go sit down. I’ll finish the dishes.”
You didn’t need to be asked twice.
“I’m not abusing my clairvoyance to foresee our child’s gender, name and appearance.” You pointed one finger in his direction, “I refused Bobby’s pleading to see which models he would bed. The only time I did something like that was to reassure Alex that he would fall in love with a lovely guy.”
Luke’s heart burst with sheer adoration at how easily you had sunk into the friendship with the band after that one night. A night that had given birth to a friendship that slowly evolved into a romance and marriage. To this day, the group got together as much as possible.
“I love you.” Luke chuckled, “Even-”
“-if I came into your life like a completely crazy person?”
“We’re all a little crazy.”
Your house surely would be when a little tornado with Luke’s energy took over the home you’d made with Luke. The very home you would have more children and grow old together until soon you held your grandkids on your laps.
Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)
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#luke patterson imagines#luke patterson x reader#julie and the phantoms imagines#luke patterson x y/n#julie and the phantoms#luke patterson#charlie gillespie imagines#sunset curve#jatp luke#jatp fanfic#luke jatp#caitsy and ash productions
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Hello and welcome to some very very specific headcanons about the JATP characters because the Krebbs Cycle is going to kill my brain:
- Alex is technically the middle child but his older sibling is significantly older, so when he was very young the sibling was around and he expected to be the younger/middle child but then the older sibling moved out so he had to step up and be the oldest brother in the house and he was Not Ready for the responsibility, hence the “I’ve stepped up to being the mum friend but good god am I not emotionally well enough for it” energy
- Reggie’s parents weren’t awful awful but one of them over shared and he ended up peace keeping a lot and is now scared of being the mediator and of being emotionally responsible for someone, and immediately leaves as soon as Alex and Luke start arguing about things and regularly encourages everyone to go to therapy so he doesn’t end up as the group therapist, but that’s why he deflects a lot and doesn’t talk about his issues much
- Luke started out as a classical violinist, which is where his discipline and drive came from, but he never really got a handle on bowing even though he could pick up super complicated finger patterns really quickly, initially began playing guitar and violin to please his mum, eventually dropped violin because the bowing sucked and it made his back hurt and he hates the E-string with a burning passion
- Julie can sight read really really well, but tends to trip over herself when she’s playing something for the millionth time because she’ll get into it but then worry that she’ll have forgotten a bit so focus on the sheet music then panic about where the notes are on the piano etc etc, but with sight reading she just focusses on the score and has to trust that she knows where the notes are, and it’s genuinely awe-inspiring
- Willie is really good at literary analysis but absolutely despises essay writing, and his goal when he was alive and in school was to end up sat next to someone with really neat handwriting who could phrase stuff really well so whenever they were allowed to talk during essay planning or writing between the pair of them they could write really good essays
That’s all I have for now but I may be back :))
#jatp#julie and the fat ones#julie and the himbos#julie and the phantoms#luke patterson#julie molina#alex jatp#reggie jatp#willie jatp#willex#Alex mercer#Reggie Peters#Luke Patterson#jatp headcanons
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my lovely jatp fans...if you watch the owl house pls dm me cause i’m trying to write a jatp owl house au, but i need help
i don’t who to pu Julie Flynn Luke and Reggie as
Carrie, Bobby, and Alex have blight sibling energy
Caleb is the Emperor, Willie is Hunter/Golden Gaurd (*cough* Edric x Hunter *cough*)
and then Ray is just Eda in general
now controversial decision but I have the urge to make Trevor Raine idk who doesn’t love Rayvor
 but I don’t know who should be with me because I can make it Flynn or I could Make it Julie
i want it to be julie cause latina but julie has such Willow energy
and then I was gonna just make Luke an oc bc he doesn’t have Willow or Gus energy
anyway, help please 
#julie and the phantoms#jatp#the owl house#julie molina#luke patterson#alex mercer#reggie peters#willie jatp#flynn jatp#flynn taylor#carrie wilson#bobby wilson#caleb covington#ray molina#trevor wilson#eda clawthorne#luz noceda#king clawthorne#amity blight#edric blight#emira blight#willow park#gus porter
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Julie and the Phantoms: Alex’ Sibling
Read EP1 here
EP2: Confrontation
It was only a week after you saw the video of ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ online. You were standing in the venue where Julie and her band were performing that night. When you saw the girl from the video walk up to the backstage door, you rushed after her. “Hey, can I talk to you?” You asked.
She looked a little stressed as she looked up at you. “Sorry, I need to get set up.”
Before you could utter another word, she had disappeared through the backstage door. Sighing you went to find a spot where you could watch the performance. It was amazing, even better than the video. Live they had an amazing energy that had you banging your head along. Seeing the hologram of your brother live was even more surreal. It was as if he was actually there. Like you could go up there and hug him.
After the performance ended you saw Julie rushing out of the venue with a friend. Quickly you chased after them, catching up to the two of them on the sidewalk. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”
The two girls looked around at you before Julie’s friend waved you off. “Sorry, no autographs tonight.”
“I don’t want an autograph.” You huffed.
“No interviews either.” The friend said as they continued to walk away from you.
A little pissed off about how they were ignoring you, you simply blurted out the words. “I know you are using footage of Sunset Curve for your holograms.”
The words froze Julie and her friend in their steps. Slowly they turned around, looking shocked. “Sorry?”
“Three of the members of the band Sunset Curve. I know you are using footage of them to create your holograms.” You said resolutely.
You had found a picture of the band online and had been able to pick out the band members. Reggie was on bass, Luke on guitar and vocals, and Alex on drums. The only person missing was Bobby, the only band member that did not die (as far as you were aware at least). You were sure that this Julie girl was using old footage of them to create the hologram effect. You just weren’t sure how.
“Did you know they’re dead?” You asked Julie, who looked terrified.
EP3 coming soon! All episodes can be found here
[gifs are not mine!]
@dpaccione @n1ghtsh4d3-67 @jjpogueprincess @marinettepotterandplagg @nct-queen @caitsymichelle13 @yeslifeofateen
#julie and the phantoms#julie and the phantoms imagine#imagine julie and the phantoms#julie and the phantoms x reader#jatp#jatp alex imagine#imagine jatp alex#jatp alex#jatp alex gif#owen joyner#charlie gillespie#jatp luke#jatp luke patterson#madison reyes#julie molina#jeremy shada#jatp reggie#jatp flynn#jadah marie johnson#jatp alex' Sibling
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Be Who You Are (No Compromise)
A Julie and the Phantoms Modern Royalty AU
Chapter 3: A Demonstrative Lesson in Simping
AO3 Link
Words: 12.8k
-----
Alex POV
...
It had been a week, and Alex hadn’t seen Willie since that fateful night when he’d earned the nickname “your royal pancakeness.” It was probably better that way, to be honest. The way Willie moved, everything about him, the energy that surrounded him, it made Alex feel weird and fluttery. If his anxious reading through the random romance novels on the bookshelf in his room, plus his constant googling of “do I have a crush” quizzes (on incognito tabs, obviously; treason wasn’t very high on his bucket list) said anything about his current situation, though, he was royally screwed.
No pun intended.
It didn’t help, either, that every time he thought about the baker’s smile, his long hair, the way his dark eyes crinkled at the edges when he laughed, a shiver ran down Alex’s spine. It was so confusing. How the hell could he have a crush on someone he barely knew?
He dragged a hand down his face, staring at the ceiling. Laying on the floor and questioning his existence had become a daily occurrence, oftentimes - like today - with Luke by his side.
“Emotions are the bane of my existence,” he said plaintively, not bothering to look away from the high ceilings, letting the flecks of dust in the air blend in with the tiny spots in his vision after not blinking for so long. “Like,” he continued, “how is it logical that a couple little zaps to the brain can make your stomach drop, or make your palms sweat, or even a week after something happened, still make you feel cold and warm at the same time?”
He wasn’t sure if the question was meant to be rhetorical, but he was still grateful for Luke’s reply, however unhelpful it may turn out to be.
“Bro, I don’t know,” he agreed. “Like, one minute you’re fine, and the next you’re about to accidentally commit treason.” Alex let out a dry laugh.
“Tell me about it.” A few moments passed, and he blinked, finally letting new moisture clear his vision. “Also, called it.”
“Wh-” Luke started, clearing his throat. “What do you mean, ‘called it?’”
“You like Julie?” Alex assumed, ignoring the swelling bubble of treasonous worry in his stomach. “I might’ve overthought every possible aspect of this, and your comment about accidental treason confirmed what I already thought.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luke drag a hand down his face, heard him groan.
“I barely know her,” he started, “but I’m already so… I don’t even know the word. Intrigued? Infatuated? In-something.” Alex nodded, letting his head smack back down on the carpet. “I’m sorry,” he added.
“Why?”
“I can only imagine how much this must be on your anxiety, and this doesn’t help.”
“It doesn’t, but it’s not the first bit of accidental treason.” His eyes finally flicked away from their spot on the ceiling as Luke bolted upright.
“No way,” he said. “Who?” Alex’s cheeks flushed. Before he could respond, though, Luke spoke again. “Wait, let me get this straight. Well, gay. You’ve liked a guy for an entire week, and you didn’t tell me? This is a betrayal of our friendship!” Alex knew he was being dramatic.
“You say that as if you didn’t do the exact same thing,” he countered. Luke considered that for a moment.
“Whatever. Okay, details.”
“His name’s Willie,” he said. “He’s a baker down at the kitchens behind the grand hall.” Alex saw a huge grin spread on Luke’s face, but couldn’t bring himself to share his friend’s ever-blooming optimism. He sighed. “Do you think there’s a way to go through with the marriage but like, platonically? Like, just tell the people ‘yeah we’re getting married, just not romantically.’ I just think that would work out better for everybody.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Luke said. “Not sure how it would work out, but I agree.”
“On the plus side, being criminals automatically makes us at least 50% cooler.”
“Dude, aren’t you the one with anxiety?”
“I have my moments.”
A familiar knock rang on the door. How, in one week, it had become so familiar, they would never know. But as Alex told Reggie to come in, his infectious smile permeated through the room like the smell of vanilla on a cold day.
“Did I hear something about treason?” he asked excitedly. “Because I am always down. Tell your friends; you need a treason buddy, I’m your guy. But of course, for legal reasons, that’s a joke.” Alex snorted.
Reggie had managed to weasel his way into both his and Luke’s hearts in a matter of days. He was so sweet, so loving, and such a dork, how could he not? Luke’s interactions with Reggie reminded Alex of two best friends who supported each other unconditionally. Alex’s own interactions with the princess’s brother? They were more like bantering siblings who loved each other so much, but were not above toilet-papering the other’s room.
“Well,” Luke began, “the arranged marriage was already a major fuck-up on the council’s decision. We could add in some treason to the mix. Just for funsies.”
“You just want to hang out with Julie, don’t you?” Alex prodded. Luke flushed, and Reggie grinned.
“Called it.”
“Oh come on, you too?”
“Dude,” Reggie said. “I love you, but you’re not exactly subtle.” Luke pouted, and Alex cracked up. “You, on the other hand,” Reggie added, “I’m not sure who your treasonous crush is.”
“A baker named Willie,” Luke interjected before Alex could reply. “And I still haven’t heard the story of how you met, I might add.” Alex groaned.
“I assume there’s no way I’m getting out of this?”
“Not a chance,” Luke and Reggie replied in unison.
This was going to be a disaster.
…
After explaining the details of how he met Willie, and enduring multiple agonizing minutes of Reggie and Luke gushing about an “adorable, treasonous meet-cute,” Alex finally prodded Luke for details about his feelings for Julie.
“Uh, well, it’s not really feelings, plus, I doubt Reggie wants to hear about hypothetical feelings someone might have for his sister.”
“Wrong,” Reggie said. “I want to know everything.” Alex laughed.
“See, I would explain, but the self-defense class starts in a minute-”
“Thirty,” Reggie corrected.
“Like I said, it starts in a minute, so I’d better run.” Without another word, he bolted out the door.
“You can’t keep running from your feelings forever,” Alex called to Luke.
“No, but I can run from you two goons!” Alex and Reggie couldn’t contain their laughter by that point, so they let that simp of a man get out of it for a little while.
…
After hanging out with Reggie in the recording studio, Alex was walking down the corridor behind the great hall, for old time’s (a week ago) sake, pacing back and forth. He didn’t actually know what he would do if someone asked why the prince was pacing the hallway near the kitchens for no apparent reason, but what happened was simultaneously both better and worse, because who would he run into (thankfully not literally this time) but a familiar brown-eyed man with a crooked smile.
“Hey there, your royal pancakeness!” He called, and oh, how Alex wished Willie didn’t have such an endearing smile.
“Hey, Willie!” He ignored the butterflies rising in his stomach. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good! Just got on break. You okay?” He asked, a flicker of concern in his eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex assured him. “Just walking.”
“Cool.”
Alex tried not to stare, but Willie made it impossible. The way he flipped his long hair, the way his dark eyes sparkled with flecks of gold in the light, how his smile lit up every time he spoke. The adorable smudge of flour on his nose didn’t help, either.
“You sure?” Willie asked, the faint flicker of concern right back to the furrow in his eyebrows. “You look a little dazed.”
Yeah, that’s because you’re gorgeous and I already have a crush on you despite only meeting you once.
“Just a little tired, I guess.” The lie was a classic one, and Willie could surely see through the bullshit, but if he did, he didn’t prod.
“Well, make sure you get some sleep tonight. In the meantime, I’m off to skate a little. You wanna come?”
Skating? There was a 100% chance that Alex would fall flat on his ass and humiliate himself. He’d never once been on a skateboard, at least, not since he’d sprained his wrist when he was seven, and his mother had banned all skateboards from the palace. And yet, the adorable look in Willie’s eyes still had Alex saying, “I’d love too.” He mentally kicked himself, but that annoyance was quickly replaced with another swarm of butterflies when Willie’s smile lit up even brighter than before.
“Sick! Follow me.”
…
The skate park wasn’t technically a skate park by any means. It was an actual park, hidden away in the vast garden grounds of Dahlia, and it really said something about the size of the palace grounds that Alex didn’t even know it was there.
Concrete sidewalks lined the perimeter, with swirling roundabouts at the corners, plus unoccupied metal benches and sliding railings that Willie didn’t hesitate to jump over. He even did a move where he jumped and the skateboard did a flip, before landing right back on it, steady as ever. But when Alex watched him let out a whoop and skate quickly around the roundabout as it sloped, not losing his balance once, he was sure Willie was just showing off.
Alex did his best to cool his blushing face as Willie made his way back.
“Want to try?” He asked.
“Oh, no,” he deflected. “I’ve never actually skateboarded before, and I’m pretty sure I’d just look stupid.”
“You’ve never skated before?”
“Not once.” He knew it was technically a lie, because he’d skated once when he was seven but that didn’t really count, but it still wasn’t true and what if Willie found out about the lie and hated him for being dishonest and what if he seemed like a bitch for lying about something so miniscule and-
“Well, there’s an easy way to fix that,” Willie said with a grin, making all of Alex’s previous anxieties melt away. They were, of course, quickly replaced with new ones because cute boy, but still.
Before Alex knew it, Willie was extending his hand and stepping off the skateboard, that beautiful, crooked smile still plastered on his gorgeous face. And then, despite the voice in the back of his head, screaming to play it safe, he listened to the whisper, barely audible, telling him to go for it. So, before he could change his mind, he took Willie’s hand. It was rough and calloused, with a few scars peppered on his fingers, but it was perfect. Slowly, tentatively, he stepped onto the skateboard, and…
Immediately fell flat on his ass. Or, he would have, had Willie not been quicker and run behind him, catching him by the shoulders with a laugh. Alex’s cheeks did their best to catch fire, and he immediately apologized.
“No, bro, you’re good! Just glad I caught you,” Willie said. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Alex replied, only just noticing how long Willie’s eyelashes were. He wasn't sure if he imagined it when Willie’s cheeks looked darker the longer he stared. Alex cleared his throat.
“Okay, let’s try this again.” Willie outstretched his hand again, and this time, Alex didn’t hesitate before taking it. He took a deep breath, grounding himself before stepping onto the skateboard, squeezing the other man’s hand and using him for support.
“I did it!” he exclaimed, very excitedly, considering all he’d done was step onto an immobile skateboard. But Willie shared his excitement.
“Hell yeah, dude! Want me to push you so you move?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Understandable, have a nice day.” Alex and Willie stared at each other, deadpan, before bursting out laughing. But, because the universe hated him, Alex fell forwards, right on top of Willie, chests pressed together and noses barely apart.
He tried to move, but he was too caught up in how fucking close they were. Willie had caught himself, leaning backwards but standing, and somehow his arms had gotten wrapped around Alex’s waist, holding him tight. It was clearly just to make sure neither of them fell, but Alex couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut.
Neither of them moved. Alex took a steadying breath, not looking away from Willie’s beautiful eyes. He cursed his stupid heart for fluttering, for suggesting treason because of a guy he’d just met, a guy with eyes so beautiful it should’ve been illegal, a guy with a perfect sense of humor, a guy who was so energetic and kind but also understanding, a guy who was now standing upright and steady, as was Alex, but who was still holding him close, arms wrapped around his waist. A guy who was surely just making sure he was still steady, but who looked at him with such intensity that it made him weak in the knees.
Finally, he cleared his throat and stepped back.
“Sorry, I kinda… Fell.” Willie gave that perfect laugh, and oh, if Alex wasn’t already smitten, he was now.
“Yeah, I caught that. No pun intended.” Alex let out an extremely undignified snort.
“That,” he said through giggles, “was so bad.” When he looked up, Willie’s cheeks were red but he laughed too.
Maybe treasonous feelings weren’t so bad.
…
As he made his way up to his quarters, Alex flopped on his bed, a giddy grin still over his face. His cheeks hurt from smiling, but he just couldn’t stop. Willie was so… he didn’t even have the words. His laugh was like sunshine in the Summer, warm and bright and the source of all life in the world. His eyes were dark but somehow bright as well, and in the light they looked like bowls of honey as they twinkled. Everything about him was so ethereal, and Alex was completely gone on him. Which was, of course, extremely illegal, but he somehow couldn’t bring himself to care.
As Luke walked in, the aroma of shampoo floating with him and giving away the fact that he’d just showered, he heard a laugh.
“How was your date?” Alex didn’t bother denying it.
“He tried to teach me how to skateboard,” he said, eyes dreamy as he remembered the fond look in Willie’s eyes as he’d fallen. “I almost fell but he-”
“No way. Did he catch you?”
“Twice.” Alex laughed when Luke squealed.
“Well, dude, you know it’s your turn to ask him out, right?”
What?
Alex bolted upright. “What do you mean?”
“I know you weren’t the one to ask him out today. That means it’s your turn to find him and ask him out for another little outing.”
“Fuck.” How the hell was he supposed to do that? He couldn’t just keep wandering the halls behind the kitchens, people would get suspicious. But… maybe he could find Willie again at the park. He’d seemed to know it well.
But what if that made him look creepy? That was Willie’s area that he’d brought Alex to, Alex was merely a guest in Willie’s beautiful domain, even if it was part of the palace. He still felt like he would be intruding.
“I’ll let you deal with that,” Luke said with a laugh.
“Yeah. In the meantime, though, how was self-defense?” Luke had a dopey grin as soon as he thought.
“Amazing.”
Alex listened to his best friend ramble on and on about how incredible it was, or rather, she was. Apparently, Julie had been instructed to go early, so Luke wasn’t able to avoid her. But it didn’t matter, because Alex got to hear his lovestruck best friend rant about how badass she was and how incredible their fights were when they sparred.
A knock rang on the door. Alex cleared his throat, standing up. Luke straightened his back. When he shot Alex a look, Alex nodded.
“Come in.” As the handle turned, a pit in Alex’s stomach formed as King Ray Molina stepped through. He scrambled into a bow, as did Luke.
“Your majesty, is everything alright?”
“It’s okay, mijos, there’s no need to bow.” Alex stood straight again. “You are needed in the royal office. Well, technically only Alex, but Luke should come too. And put on something respectable but comfortable. It might be a long night.” With that, Ray left, leaving the two of them there.
A sinking pit in Alex’s stomach told him that something was very, very wrong.
-----
Luke POV
...
Laying on the floor with Alex was a daily occurrence. It truly was the best spot to have a crisis.
“Emotions are the bane of my existence,” Alex declared. Luke had to agree. “Like,” he continued, “how is it logical that a couple little zaps to the brain can make your stomach drop, or make your palms sweat, or even a week after something happened, still make you feel cold and warm at the same time?”
“Bro, I don’t know,” he agreed. “Like, one minute you’re fine, and the next you’re about to accidentally commit treason.” Alex let out a dry laugh.
“Tell me about it.” A few moments passed, and Luke stared at the ceiling. There were small knots in the gently stained wood planks, with no particular rhyme or reason. “Also, called it.”
“Wh-” Luke started, clearing his throat. “What do you mean, ‘called it?’”
“You like Julie?” Alex assumed. Luke fumbled for an answer that wouldn’t be treasonous. “I might’ve overthought every possible aspect of this, and your comment about accidental treason confirmed what I already thought.” Luke dragged a hand down his face and groaned. How obvious was he?
“I barely know her,” he started, “but I’m already so… I don’t even know the word. Intrigued? Infatuated? In-something.” In love, maybe.
“I’m sorry,” he added after a moment.
“Why?”
“I can only imagine how much this must be on your anxiety, and this doesn’t help.” Luke mentally kicked himself for adding another worry onto his best friend’s anxiety.
“It doesn’t, but it’s not the first bit of accidental treason.” Luke took a moment to process that before bolting upright.
“No way,” he said. “Who?” He ignored Alex’s blush. “Wait, let me get this straight. Well, gay. You’ve liked a guy for an entire week, and you didn’t tell me? This is a betrayal of our friendship!” How dare he? That was cruel. Luke could’ve been teasing him for seven fucking days and Alex had the gall to hide it?
The lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch.
“You say that as if you didn’t do the exact same thing,” Alex countered. Luke considered that for a moment.
“Whatever. Okay, details.”
…
After hearing the adorable details of Alex’s meet-cute with Willie, Luke had officially decided he would be officiating their wedding. He could already see it. Of course, he didn’t have much time to imagine his best friend’s future husband, because soon Alex and Reggie were giving him shit for his “crush” on Julie, and he hightailed it out of there, deciding to go to self-defense early. He could just sit on the bench and wait, be free of anybody who would make his thoughts race-
But of course he couldn’t, because right there was Julie, walking into the arena.
"Hey Luke!" She called with a wave.
"Hey, Julie, what’s up?” He dearly hoped he wasn't blushing.
“Not much,” she replied. “Just came early because Lady Athena wanted me to show the trainees my upside-down move.” She tightened her ponytail. “Why are you here? The main session doesn’t start for another thirty minutes.” Luke blushed, his stomach flipping. What if she thought he was annoying?
“Oh,” he said with a shy laugh. “Alex and Reggie were giving me shit for… something,” he explained, hoping she didn’t catch his slip, “and I decided to escape.” Julie nodded.
“That’s valid.”
“Julie?” called Lady Athena. “You ready?”
“That's my cue,” she said with a smirk, hopping away and over to stand next to the coach. Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off her. The way she moved was ethereal, like a butterfly given human form.
She began explaining her move to the trainees, who were all looking very confused, which Luke understood. It looked super complicated, and you would need some serious core strength to pull it off. But somehow she did it in slow fucking motion.
He found himself migrating towards Julie’s friends, who thankfully greeted him with a smile.
Whispering introductions between them, he met Flynn (the girl with the braids), Carrie (Flynn’s girlfriend), and Mira (Julie’s lady-in-waiting). And as if Luke didn’t already have a healthy amount of fear and respect for the princess, she happened to surround herself with other badasses.
Flynn had an air of confidence around her. The way she squared her shoulders as she walked made her long, dark braids sway behind her back, and the bold style she always had just added to the effect. Carrie, Flynn’s girlfriend, was proof that some people were born to be royal. Everything Carrie did and wore, no matter how simple - like her current athletic clothes - screamed royalty, even though she wasn’t technically royal. And Mira was kind and confident, but there was an air about her that told Luke, this is a powerful woman. Not that he was surprised; He’d seen her fights against Julie.
But he just couldn’t take his eyes off of Julie. She moved so cleanly, never stumbling no matter how difficult the position must’ve been, and even as she held herself sideways on one arm and spun, she landed with uncanny grace.
“Okay, Julie, why don’t you get some water, and we’ll do the demonstrations with opponents?” Lady Athena’s long ponytail swished as she walked towards her, and Luke blushed when Julie smiled.
“Sounds good.” She spun on her heel, jogging to the group and catching Luke’s eye. He could’ve sworn her cheeks darkened, but then again, that move made for an intense workout.
“Dude, I don’t know how you managed to do that spin in slow motion,” Mira told her. Julie laughed, and Luke had never heard a sound so beautiful.
“Practice and good core strength.” She sat down on the bench, Mira by her side. So he was right; core strength was a necessity.
“Hey, uh, Julie?” asked Luke shyly. She was drinking water, so she hummed a questioning tone. Luke cleared his throat. “Would it be okay if I joined them and tried to learn the move?” he asked, gesturing his head to the group of preparing trainees. Julie put down her water bottle, smirking, and Luke felt his own smile rising, though he was also nervous. He wasn’t sure why.
“Technically, you’re not a trainee.” Oh. That was why. Luke opened his mouth to apologize, before Julie cut him off. “But, you could be one of the demonstrative opponents if you want to,” she offered. “I’m supposed to show how the move works against different fighting styles, and I think a Tamborian fighting style would add some variety.” Luke grinned and nodded, hoping his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
“Sounds good, boss.” That time he did see Julie blush, and couldn’t help but feel proud of himself.
As Julie made her way over to the front of the mats, with Carrie by her side, he sat on the bench next to Mira, enchanted. Before they started their fight, though, Mira elbowed him in the ribs. When he glanced over, she didn’t say anything, but gave him a knowing smirk that made him flush. Was he really that obvious?
“What?”
“You’re not as subtle as you think,” she said. Luke stammered, trying to find an excuse. Mira laughed.
“Don’t worry, dude. I’m not sure if they would exile me for saying this, but you guys would be cute together. Might be illegal, but then again, I’m always down for some treason.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, but he knew he was joking. Evidently, Mira did as well, because she snorted and went back to watching Julie and Carrie.
Luke eagerly did the same, watching as Julie made the first move. Carrie hopped out of the way, striking and giving Julie and opportunity to lean forwards. The princess hopped and landed on her right hand, spinning and tripping Carrie. Luke didn’t pay attention to what she said, but was entranced by how she moved. He vaguely remembered something about a dancer.
“That’s my cue,” Mira told him as Julie finished the round against Carrie. “See you later, lover boy.” Before Luke could come up with a comeback for Julie’s kind but blunt friend, she winked and walked away.
As Julie fought Mira, she mentioned something about a ninja, as well as the way the word “lithe” sounded on her tongue. He watched as she danced around the other girl, twisting and tripping her before winning the fight.
Flynn strutted over to Julie, a confident smirk on her face. She was catlike when she fought, something both Luke and Julie noticed, and he was very proud of himself for thinking of it as she pointed it out.
“However,” Julie said as she made the final spin, pinning Flynn and grabbing her collar, “it turns out, cats don’t always land on their feet.”
Whoa.
Not only was she a complete and utter badass, but she was good at bantering with her friends. Luke wasn’t sure why he loved that so much, but a grin broke out on his face, blushing as he caught Julie’s gaze.
"Next,” Julie said, snapping Luke back to the present, “I'm going to fight with Luke. He's from Tambor, so this will be new." She nodded, and he obeyed, practically floating over to her.
As Julie stepped into fighting position, Luke winked, quite pleased with himself for flustering her, then struck. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get the upper hand. Julie took advantage of his opportunistic nature, when he left himself vulnerable as he attacked, she struck back with twice the confidence.
Soon, though, he tripped. As he lost his balance, Julie spun upside down and tripped him. Luke’s back hit the ground and he let out a gentle “oof,” but couldn’t recover before Julie was on top of him. Luke was extremely aware of the way her leg pinned his hips down to the mat, the way her shoulders moved as she breathed evenly but quickly, the way her hand curled into a fist as she grabbed his collar and pulled her other arm backwards to finish. He tried to move his arms, but the way she’d positioned her torso made it impossible for him to defend his head from her possible blow. He was completely at the mercy of this girl, trusting her not to strike with finality, but not trusting his own unruly heart to steady as he found himself lost in her eyes.
But then, because the universe hated him, Julie winked. His breath caught in his throat and he flushed bright red.
For a moment, the world seemed to still. Luke was acutely aware of the shine of her dark skin, the single loose curl by her ear, the confident smirk on her face. But just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Julie got up, extending her arm, which Luke took. Everywhere her hand touched left tingles on his forearm.
“Nice job!” she told him. He rolled his eyes.
“Oh, please, I just got my ass kicked and you didn’t even break a sweat.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I knew you were awesome, but I didn’t know you were a human wrecking ball.” Of course, when Julie blushed, he felt a surge of confidence and accomplishment.
“I- well, I don’t-”
“He’s right,” Carrie insisted. You were awesome.” Luke grinned and nodded, reaching over to high-five her.
“Okay, trainees,” called Lady Athena. “Pair up and spar. If you want, spot the other and try the move. I’ll be hovering to make sure nobody gets hurt.” She clapped her hands with finality, and the trainees did as they were told. “The rest of you,” she added, directed at Luke and the Badasses, “practice while you can. Oh, Julie, I want you to practice with Luke today. See if you can work out some similarities and differences between Dahlian and Tamborian fighting styles.”
Oh.
Fuck.
How the hell was Luke going to survive sparring with Julie multiple times, purely for practice and not staged? He wouldn’t be able to go one minute without completely losing it every time she looked at him.
Luke noticed Carrie, Mira, and Flynn all giving him a look that made him fidget. It turned out he was the opposite of subtle. And as Reggie walked towards them, a knowing smirk on his face as well, Luke knew he was dead. He quickly tried to compose himself.
“Alright, boss,” he said after a moment. “Ready to kick my ass?” Julie laughed, and Luke could’ve listened to that sound for the rest of his life.
“Let’s do it.”
Luke struck first, a playful grin on his face. Julie quickly deflected, twisting his arm and twirling behind him, causing Luke’s heart to flutter. It didn’t last long, though, because then she was shoving the backs of his knees and pinning him as he fell down, kneeling hunched over with her holding his wrists behind his back.
“That’s one for me!” She laughed as he groaned. Way to humiliate yourself, Patterson.
“Damn, and to think I ever thought I was good at hand-to-hand.” Luke took her arm, letting her help him up. An idea formed in his head, a cruel one, but it would work. He had to quickly hide the grin on his face. “Wait, I want to try that spinny move thing.” As Julie stepped back. Luke smirked to himself, hopping forward and purposely falling during the spin. It wasn’t like he needed to try to fall, though; that move was impossible.
“Gah, my wrist!” He feigned injury, but his heart still fluttered as Julie rushed over to him. She cared.
But, he couldn’t play nice. He grinned and quickly took her arm, pulling her down to the ground and flipping on top of her. Luke pinned her shoulders, shooting her a cocky grin, but ignoring the look on her face. It was so soft and surprised, but playful and… he daresay impressed.
“And that’s one for me.”
“That wouldn’t work in a real fight, you know,” she informed Luke as she rolled out from under him. She wasn’t humiliated, as far as he could tell, which was probably a good thing. Humiliating the heiress to the Dahlian throne wasn’t a great idea. But her cheeks were darkened with a blush, and she was certainly flustered. Luke patted himself on the back.
“Oh, I know,” he said calmly. “It’s just fun to annoy you.” He could’ve sworn she blushed even more, but she looked away too quickly for him to confirm.
“Alright, rematch,” she decided, her voice confident. Luke nodded, and Julie hopped into fighting position. Luke did the same, noting how adorable it was as she bounced on the balls of her feet, before striking. She moved quickly and unpredictably, but when Luke dodged a hit to his shoulder and she hopped forward, he knew what was coming. He leaned backwards and, as her legs swept underneath his ankles, he jumped and avoided the killer move.
As he avoided her spin, he noticed Julie trying to recover as quickly as she could, but she stumbled, and Luke quickly took advantage of that. He grabbed her arm, spinning her around almost like a ballroom dance, and then holding her back against his chest, his arm pinning her shoulders. He felt his own heartbeat against her back, her rapid breathing making her shoulder blades prick his stomach.
“I win,” he whispered, a grin on his face- one that was quickly replaced with a look of shock when Julie reached up and grabbed his wrist, leaning forwards and throwing him to the floor upside down. As his back hit the ground, he let out a soft “oof” and didn’t get the chance to move before Julie was on top of him, flattening her body over his to make sure he couldn’t move and pinning his shoulders with her forearm. He knew he’d lost the fight, but currently he was more interested in the quirked eyebrow on her face, the shine of sweat on her forehead, and how very close they were.
“Actually, I win.”
…
Luke stood in the shower, letting the cool water wash over him. He normally took warm showers, even after working out, but today he needed the familiar feeling of cold shivers down his spine. There was something about Julie that made him so warm, like he’d known her his whole life. Julie was like the feeling of a sip of warm cocoa on a winter day, like sunlight peeking over the mountaintops. She was intriguing, so complicated and layered, like a mystery that he desperately wanted to solve. Luke couldn’t piece together just why she had that effect on him, though he had a few ideas.
Quickly drying himself off, he changed into a lightweight guard uniform. It was more of a casual suit than a uniform; the guardsmen dress codes in Dahlia weren’t nearly as strict as they were in Tambor. They were more focused on abilities rather than looking like guards. So long as you looked respectable, that was enough.
The cool fabric of the white dress shirt felt good against his skin, and the heather grey vest was a light pressure, keeping him secure. The matching jacket was tailored to a slim fit, but, given that he was a guard, there were also sheaths built into the inside, with simple but deadly daggers within them.
If he was being honest, Luke hated carrying weapons. He felt cool, sure, but he still hated it. No matter how well they were hidden - and well hidden they were; not even the outlines were visible from the outside - he always knew they were there. That, even though they should be safe, there was always a possibility. A possibility that he might end up using one of the cruel blades strapped to his chest.
…
When he walked into Alex’s room from his quarters across the hall, his best friend was sprawled out on his bed, a dopey grin spread across his face. Luke immediately knew he’d been with Willie.
“How was your date?”
“He tried to teach me how to skateboard,” he said. Luke grinned to himself. That was the cutest thing ever. “I almost fell but he-” Luke gasped, knowing his best friend’s disaster-gay-levels well enough to know where this was going.
“No way. Did he catch you?”
“Twice.” Luke squealed, bringing his hands to his cheeks. Alex was getting a classic boyfriend meet-cute and pining stage. It was like something out of a romance novel.
“Well, dude, you know it’s your turn to ask him out, right?” Luke laughed, practically feeling Alex’s nervousness, which was confirmed when Alex bolted upright.
“What do you mean?” Luke snorted. Dumbass.
“I know you weren’t the one to ask him out today. That means it’s your turn to find him and ask him out for another little outing.”
“Fuck.” Luke could see the thoughts running a million miles an hour in his friend’s head, and soon he would be spiraling into gay panic and anxiety.
“I’ll let you deal with that,” Luke said with a laugh.
“Yeah. In the meantime, though, how was self-defense?” Luke didn’t bother hiding the huge grin that spread across his face as he remembered his time with Julie.
“Amazing. I got there early since you and Reggie were being assholes-”
“Love you too.”
“-But it turned out she was there early as well. Well, her and her friends. She has this super badass move where she jumps and lands on one fucking hand and spins twice, tripping you backwards and then pinning you, and she was teaching it to the trainees. Holy fuck, Alex, I don’t know how she does it. And she did it in slow motion!” He raked a hand through his hair. “She was going to demonstrate the move in fights with Mira, Flynn, and Carrie, and I asked if I could join the trainees to learn the move, because of course I did, and then she said that I ‘technically wasn’t a trainee,’ but then offered to let me be one of the demonstrative opponents.”
“And I’m guessing that went well?”
“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “And then, when the trainees were practicing, Lady Athena paired us for the rest of the session, so I got to spar with her.”
“Oooooh!” Luke gave a light punch in mock offense, but he was still glowing.
“Bro, she’s amazing.”
“I can see that.” Luke ignored the shit-eating grin on Alex’s face.
A knock rang on the door, and Luke straightened, looking at Alex as he stood up.
“Come in.” When King Ray walked in, Luke hastily bowed.
“Your majesty, is everything alright?” Alex asked.
“It’s okay, mijos, there’s no need to bow. You are needed in the royal office. Well, technically only Alex, but Luke should come too.” Luke nodded as Ray looked at him. “And put on something respectable but comfortable. It might be a long night.” With that, Ray left, leaving the two of them there.
Something was wrong.
-----
Reggie POV
...
Suit vest long abandoned, sleeves messily rolled up, Reggie fiddled with the stim toy in his pocket, humming to himself as he wandered the long expanse of the Dahlian palace gardens, letting the different scents envelop him. Sometimes this would’ve pushed him into sensory overload, with all of the overlapping smells from the flowers, the sound of chirping birds, bright sunlight, breeze and stim toy, but today it just felt right. He hummed a familiar melody to himself, trying to place it as he wandered, spinning around and occasionally dancing with his steps.
His lips moved to words before he knew it, and he was finally able to place the song: Wake Up. Julie had written it with Rose before she passed away. A sad smile quirked the corners of her mouth. It had been a few years since it happened, but a pang of grief still struck Reggie’s heart. He’d lived at the palace since he was nine, and Rose had become like a mother to him. For seven years she’d raised him like one of her own, a kind, gentle woman. She was the one who taught him to play the bass, too.
Reggie missed her. But Julie looked just like her, and she was so strong, his chest still swelled with pride every time he looked at her. And her voice, her music, it was like Rose in every way, and yet so uniquely Julie.
The lyrics to Wake Up were so inspirational that, even when humming to himself in the gardens, they still brought the familiar prickle of tears to his eyes.
Better wake those demons // Just look them in the eye // No reason not to try
Those lines in particular were the most powerful to him. They were the lines that helped him confront his grief after Rose had passed away, and the ones that made his heart grow and ache every time Julie sang them.
Reggie sighed, letting the memory of Rose wash over him, both melancholy and bright. Every step was filled with happiness and longing, but he knew that if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t be the person he was today. He might’ve still lived in the palace with Julie, sure; it was Ray who had found him and taken him in. But Rose had guided his love for music with Julie.
As he danced around the garden, a strong breeze whipped his hair. He noticed something flying towards him - a leaf, probably. But as he saw it flutter against the wind, he realized that it was a butterfly.
Without thinking, he reached up, letting the butterfly stop against his palm. He shielded it from the wind with his other hand, letting it regain its balance. He giggled as it crawled across his finger, the faint tickling sensation like dandelion wisps on his nose in the Summer. Then, the butterfly took flight against the wind, this time able to push back and fly.
…
Reggie, after finding his suit vest draped across a rosebush, wandered through the corridor to Alex’s room. He, Alex, and Luke had become close friends in the past week. Something about the three of them just clicked.
He knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern that matched with the song stuck in his head, sauntering in, the word treason filling his ears. A grin spread across his face; he knew exactly what the treason was.
“Did I hear something about treason?” he asked excitedly. “Because I am always down. Tell your friends; you need a treason buddy, I’m your guy. But of course, for legal reasons, that’s a joke.” He gave some finger guns when Alex snorted.
“Well,” Luke began, “the arranged marriage was already a major fuck-up on the council’s decision. We could add in some treason to the mix. Just for funsies.” Reggie nodded. He might’ve been seen as a goody-two-shoes to some people, but he wasn’t opposed to breaking some rules.
“You just want to hang out with Julie, don’t you?” Alex asked. Luke flushed, and Reggie grinned.
“Called it,” he said.
“Oh come on, you too?”
“Dude,” Reggie began. “I love you, but you’re not exactly subtle.” Luke pouted, and Alex cracked up. “You, on the other hand,” Reggie added, “I’m not sure who your treasonous crush is.” He knew Alex was gay, but there weren’t any guys he knew of that he would like.
“A baker named Willie,” Luke interjected before Alex could reply. “And I still haven’t heard the story of how you met, I might add.” Alex groaned, and Reggie clapped. A baker. That was so cliche, but so adorable. He could already see the wedding.
“I assume there’s no way I’m getting out of this?”
“Not a chance,” Luke and Reggie replied in unison, and Reggie high-fived him without looking. Alex groaned.
“So, you remember the feast the night I got here? I was kinda overwhelmed so I stepped out the back door, and this guy just fuckin… Ran me over.” Reggie laughed.
“He pancaked you!”
“Exactly that. Anyway, that happened and I kinda froze because he was really cute. And eventually we were just… Chatting. And I can’t fucking get him out of my mind and now I’m royally fucked because this is treason.”
“Well, like I said, I’m always down for a little treason,” Reggie repeated. “And might I add, that is adorable!!!”
“I know, right?” Luke asked, grinning at Reggie. He nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s an adorable, treasonous meet-cute!!! I swear, this is like something out of a romance novel.”
“That’s what I thought!!!”
“You two are the worst,” Alex informed them.
“You love us,” Reggie said with a grin.
“Unfortunately.”
“Now, Luke. What’s this I hear about some more treasonous feelings for a certain Princess Julie Molina?” Reggie poked his friend in the ribs, laughing when his blush went all the way to his ears.
“Uh, well, it’s not really feelings, plus, I doubt Reggie wants to hear about hypothetical feelings someone might have for his sister.”
“Wrong,” Reggie said. “I want to know everything.” There was no way he was getting away with crushing on his sister without Reggie doing some well-meaning meddling. He didn’t mind that Luke liked Julie, of course. He was a nice guy, and Julie clearly liked him as well. But, Luke was also one of his best friends, and therefore required to spill.
“See, I would explain, but the self-defense class starts in a minute-”
“Thirty,” Reggie corrected.
“Like I said, it starts in a minute, so I’d better run.” Without another word, he bolted out the door.
“You can’t keep running from your feelings forever,” Alex called to Luke.
“No, but I can run from you two goons!” Reggie cracked up, along with Alex.
“Simp,” Reggie declared.
“Definitely.”
“Hey, you mentioned you play drums, right?”
“Yeah,” Alex said with a smile. “And you play… bass?”
“Yep! There’s a recording studio in the basement, you want to go play?”
“I’d love to! Luke keeps getting on my case because I tap on the desk when I’m working through sim files.” Reggie nodded. It was understandable for him as well; even though he wasn’t a drummer, he had ADHD, and sim files were such a pain. They were cool, sure; they were files in which you developed a country similar to Dahlia, and there were social issues, economic questions, political queries, all of which would affect how your practice country developed, even with the details of foreign relations. Reggie wasn’t bad at them, per se, but it was probably a good thing that he wasn’t becoming king. He always got distracted, and while he was quite good at it, especially diplomacy, it just wasn’t what he wanted to do. And it wasn’t a matter of ADHD, either. Julie had ADD. She was just better at it, maybe because she’d been raised for it since birth, and Reggie had lived here for a considerably short time compared to her.
His most recent sim file was on economic development, concerning poverty, disproportionate wealth, and tax rates. Dahlian wealth was relatively evenly distributed; much better than some countries. But he just didn’t like the way the sim files were set up.
…
“Dude, this is sick!” Alex’s enthusiasm was practically tangible, and Reggie smiled.
“I know, right? Just be careful not to touch the handshake prank things on the shelf,” he added, pointing to a small stash. “They’re Carlos’s. One time he added some static electricity and zapped me, and it felt just like the time I was fixing my amp in the rain.”
“You shouldn’t… Okay.”
“Anyway, how do you like the drums?” Alex played a rhythm on the bass, snare, and hi-hat, grinning.
“They’re awesome,” he decided. “In a lot better shape than my set back in Tambor. I’ve had them since I was seven, and they’re pretty beat-up.”
“Oof,” Reggie said. “These are a bit old, but none of us are any good at playing, so they’re just like new!”
Reggie hopped across the room to grab his bass, strapping it around his shoulders and playing a riff. It started with a slide down the A string, and when he began adding more notes, Alex joined in with a rhythm. Reggie gasped.
“Alex, that sounds perfect!” When Alex gave him a confused look, Reggie realized he hadn’t given context. “Julie and I have been writing a song called Icarus, and trying to learn the drums to add in a beat, but that riff I was playing was the baseline for it, right? That beat you were just playing sounded perfect. Dude, we gotta get Jules in here later. She’s gonna be pumped.” Alex grinned.
“That sounds awesome, dude! What’s the song like?”
“It’s pretty upbeat,” Reggie started. “It’s got a sort of inspirational vibe to it. The guitar we’re trying to add has kind of a rock and roll sound, but not metal. I’m trying to figure out how to play it, but I always strum wrong since I’m so used to bass.” He laughed, remembering how he’d tried to strum with the outside of his index finger.
“No way,” Alex said. Reggie gave him a confused look. “Luke plays guitar. He’s insane at it, too. What if the four of us played it? You on the bass, me on drums, Luke on guitar, and Julie on piano and vocals?”
“And you, Luke and I could be backup vocals! Alex, you’re a genius. We’ll be Julie’s Beyonce girls.”
“Yeah, okay.” Reggie grinned. This would be perfect. He just needed to get Julie and Julie’s Future Treasonous Boyfriend (Luke) to join them in the studio later.
…
Self-defense was interesting to say the least. Reggie had the honor of watching his little sister teach a bunch of nervous trainees a move that, if he was being honest, was impossible to do for anybody but Julie. He only caught the last demonstrative round, though, which proved to be just as entertaining as watching her whole teaching session would be.
Why? Well, because she was sparring with Luke. The tension was tangible as they ducked and dodged and struck, and as Julie ended up on top of him, his collar in her fist, a confident smirk on her face, Reggie grinned to himself at how oblivious they both were. They oozed chemistry.
He approached as Lady Athena instructed the trainees to pair up and practice, and luckily caught the flustered and excited look on both Luke’s and Julie’s faces when Lady Athena paired them for sparring. He shot a knowing look at them as he paired with Mira to spar.
They made idle conversation as they practiced, occasionally interrupted by a quick “duck” as the other sent a strike their way.
“Did you know your sister was this oblivious?” Mira asked him. Reggie laughed.
“Nope, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. She has a habit of ignoring things she doesn’t like, which probably includes treasonous emotions.” Mira laughed, and Reggie took advantage of it, flipping her over and pinning her, winning the match, laughing as she rolled her eyes but took his hand, pulling her up.
“Believe me, I know,” Mira said. “She once got a sim file from a nearby sim country in her foreign relations packet that was questioning the ethics of her country on LGBTQ matters, and she just ignored it because it annoyed her.” Reggie snorted. That did sound like Julie.
Twisting around Mira’s next attack, but quickly regretting it as she hooked her ankle around his knee, knocking him over and winning, Reggie wondered if he could somehow set them up.
“Hey, Mira?”
“Mhm?”
“You know how one of your jobs as Julie’s lady-in-waiting is to help arrange her outfits?” Mira nodded, a smirk growing on her face.
“Say no more.” Reggie grinned. Reggie was his name, and meddling was his game.
…
Reggie was working on a new riff for the bridge of Icarus when someone knocked on his door.
“Come in,” he called, still bent over his notebook, scrawling down notes as he hummed.
“Hey, mijo?” Reggie whirled around to see Ray. He smiled.
“Hi Ray! Everything okay?”
“Not exactly, but I’ll explain that later. We need you in the royal office. I’ve already been to see Julie, Luke, and Alex, they’re coming as well. Just… It might be a long night, so put on something respectable but comfortable.”
“Okay,” Reggie agreed, concerned. “Did something happen?” Ray bit his lip nervously and nodded, walking away without another word.
-----
Willie POV
...
“Hey, Alyssa, how’s that dough looking?” Willie asked from across the kitchen, where he was gathering ingredients for the Hawaiian style shredded chicken.
“Almost done rising,” she called back. “Probably needs about five more minutes.”
“Awesome, thanks!”
“Yep!”
Willie gathered the ingredients in his arms, doing his best not to poke his eye out with the leaves of the pineapple. As he reached his counter, he set down the huge fruit, spreading out the other ingredients, many of them spices. He grabbed a knife from the block behind him, chopping the leaves off of the pineapple, then spinning it as he scalped the rough, pointy skin off as well. He chopped the rest into small pieces and brought them to Alyssa, who was in front of a large slow cooker with chicken inside. He set the bowl down on the counter, nodding from her thanks and running back to the dough, separating and rolling it to create rolls, sticking them in the oven.
“Willie, why don’t you go on break,” Lilian suggested. Willie jumped; Lilian walked silently, and she’d appeared right behind him.
“You’ve been working really hard today,” she added. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good! Thanks.” It was the truth, he was fine. But he was working extra hard today because, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep Alex off his mind. He always worked best when he had something else to think about; the actions practically did themselves. He hadn’t even realized how much he was doing.
“I think I’ll take you up on that break,” he decided. “Be back in an hour or so?” Lilian nodded, patting his shoulder.
“Relax, child.”
“Who are you calling ‘child?’” he asked. “You’re only twenty-five.”
“And you’re nineteen. You’re a child.” Willie rolled his eyes but laughed.
“See you later!”
…
As he ran out the door, leaving his apron swinging on a hook, who would he see but Alex? A grin broke out on his face and, despite his better judgement, he called out to him (after he’d settled his blush, of course).
“Hey there, your royal pancakeness!” He called, butterflies rising in his stomach as Alex looked his way.
“Hey, Willie! How’s it going?”
“Pretty good! Just got on break. You okay?” He asked, noticing the nervousness in Alex’s (beautiful) eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex assured him. “Just walking.”
“Cool.” He fixed his hair, flipping it away from his shoulders. “You sure? You look a little dazed.”
I am too, but that’s just because you’re adorable.
“Just a little tired, I guess.” The lie was a classic one, and Willie saw right through it. He could tell that Alex didn’t want to talk about it, though so he left it alone. He always hated having people up in his business.
“Well, make sure you get some sleep tonight,” he told him. “In the meantime, I’m off to skate a little. You wanna come?”
Willie wasn’t sure if Alex would say yes, no, or just walk away laughing. Skateboarding wasn’t something you would expect a prince to do.
But then, Alex replied, “I’d love to,” and Willie’s grin stretched even wider, dearly hoping his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
“Sick! Follow me.”
He led Alex down the back of the corridor, thankful that Alex was behind him, because that meant he could let his gay panic show on his face without letting the person causing it know. His long hair blocked his jaw from view, as well, so he was confident that Alex was oblivious to the fact that Willie was currently aggressively mouthing cute boy cute boy cute boy.
Willie took Alex’s hand, grinning when Alex smiled. He brought him out the back door, into the streaming sunlight and to the park in the gardens. Hardly anybody knew of its existence, which was just how Willie liked it. He’d been given permission to skate there, and never once had he seen another person there. Bringing Alex there felt strange, but right. This had become Willie’s area, where he would go to get away from people when he needed to, and now he was letting Alex in. He wasn’t quite sure what compelled him to do it, but he was glad he did.
Willie shot him a glance, getting on the skateboard and flying down the sidewalks, jumping over metal rails and benches. He did a quick kickflip after he landed, skating back around the roundabout, his grin wide as ever as he made his way back to Alex.
“Want to try?”
“Oh, no,” Alex replied, “I’ve never actually skateboarded before, and I’m pretty sure I’d just look stupid.”
“You’ve never skated before?” Willie’s eyebrows knit together. He wasn’t necessarily surprised, given that Alex was a prince, but still, every boy he’d ever met had skateboarded.
“Not once.”
“Well, there’s an easy way to fix that,” Willie said with a grin, extending his hand as he stepped off the skateboard. His heart fluttered as Alex reluctantly took it, his hand cold but soft as he held on, stepping on.
But before he could say anything, Alex was stepping onto it lopsidedly, and Willie instinctively ran around behind him, his hands bracing Alex’s shoulders as he fell. Willie had rather large hands, and as his thumbs stretched to his back, he felt Alex’s racing heartbeat. He knew it was because he’d almost fallen off of a skateboard, but he couldn’t help but grin.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” Alex said. “I-
“No, bro, you’re good! Just glad I caught you,” Willie said. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Alex replied, and Willie tried (and failed) to calm his blush. He noticed a few freckles across Alex’s nose, barely there, like stars in the sky just after sunset.
“Okay, let’s try this again.” Willie outstretched his hand again, and grinned when Alex took it, stepping on steadily, squeezing his hand.
He liked this, holding hands with Alex. He could imagine doing this every day, casual affection, maybe playing with his hair-
No. He shoved those thoughts out of his head. Alex was in an arranged marriage. To get in the way of that would be treason. Plus, Willie didn’t even know if Alex liked guys.
“I did it!” Alex exclaimed, a grin on his face as he stood on the skateboard. Willie broke out into a huge smile, his chest swelling with pride. Alex was a nerd, but he was his nerd.
“Hell yeah, dude! Want me to push you so you move?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Understandable, have a nice day.” Willie and Alex both cracked up, tears in his eyes. But he heard wobbling, and soon he was catching Alex right in front of him as he fell. Willie leaned back, stopping himself from falling on his back, but the main thing on his mind was how close he and Alex were. Their chests were pressed together, and Willie could barely tell whose racing heartbeat was his. He was close enough to count Alex’s long eyelashes, close enough to...
It was a nice thought, but it would never happen.
Willie’s arms were wrapped around Alex’s waist, holding him steady as he stood up straighter, but not letting go. He held his gaze, steadying his breath, lost in Alex’s eyes. They were a mixture of blue, green, and grey, light but mysterious and beautiful, like frost on a garden, twinkling in moonlight. Without meaning to, his eyes flicked to Alex’s lips for a split second, and Willie could’ve sworn Alex’s did the same.
Finally, Alex cleared his throat and stepped back. Willie wasn’t surprised, but he was disappointed. He liked holding Alex like that.
“Sorry, I kinda… Fell.” Willie cracked up at the bluntness.
“Yeah, I caught that. No pun intended.” He hated himself for the pun, but all of the hate was replaced with love when Alex let out a snort.
“That,” he said through giggles, “was so bad.” Willie blushed but laughed too, caught up in the mirth in Alex's eyes. He looked so young, laughing like this, free and happy. And when he’d finally composed himself, his cheeks were rosy from laughter, small lines around his eyes.
It was official: Willie was smitten.
-----
Julie POV
...
Julie groaned.
It had been an entire week, and all of her interactions with Luke were minimal and cordial, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn’t shake. Every time he bowed, his eyes would flick up to meet hers, every time he smiled, they would crinkle and smile with his lips. Julie couldn’t get rid of these stupid feelings, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how many times she told herself that she was literally about to commit treason every time she was tempted to act.
“That’s the fourth time you’ve groaned in the past ten minutes,” Flynn pointed out. “Care to tell us what’s going on?”
“Jules, we know something’s wrong. You can try to hide it all you want, but that won’t change it.” Carrie examined her perfect nails, which were painted gold and shimmered in the light.
“I don’t know,” she lied. Flynn and Carrie shared a look.
“Alright, what’s his name?” Julie bolted upright from her spot on her bed, flushed.
“What do you mean?” Her two friends shared another look and laughed.
“You’re a horrible liar,” Carrie told her, “you know that?” Julie groaned a fifth time.
“So I’ll ask again,” Flynn decided. “What’s his name?” When Julie stayed silent, she added, “dude. You know that if anyone’s down for a little treason, it’s us.” She wasn’t wrong, and Julie knew that. Flynn was ride-or-die, Carrie too. Neither of them would hesitate before committing war crimes if it meant helping Julie, and she didn’t take that for granted. She was still emotional about it, though.
“You know Alex’s guard, Luke?”
“The one who was showering you in compliments at self-defense last week?” Flynn asked, a shit-eating grin on her face.
“He complimented me once, Flynn.”
“Tell yourself whatever you need to.”
“I think I will.”
Carrie snorted. “Jules, you clearly like him. Make a move!”
“Carrie,” Julie said calmly. “I say this with love. Are you out of your mind?”
“I mean, probably.” Flynn cracked up and Carrie’s perfect face had a smug little smile that pissed Julie off. She flopped back down.
“This whole thing sucks.”
“You’re not wrong,” Flynn agreed, though she still had a grin on her face. “You know what would help?”
“Treason?” Carrie suggested.
“Nope! Well, yes, but I was going to say getting ready for self-defense. Lady Athena wanted us to go early today, remember?”
Unfortunately, Julie did remember, and she was dreading it. Lady Athena had asked if she could practice her upside-down move some more, and then show it to the training guards, plus a demonstrative spar with each of the other three girls to show how to use it against different fighting styles.
Before she could respond, Mira walked in, piles of fabric in her arms.
“Who’s ready to go?” She asked enthusiastically. “I just had these tailored,” she said, putting down the fabric, which turned out to be matching athletic clothes. Soft, high-waisted capris leggings, with matching tops that were slim-fitting and cropped at the ribs. The halter neckline was gentle and hemmed, nothing fancy or tied.
“They should be nice and cool so you don’t get too sweaty,” Mira explained, “and they’re form-fitting to make movement easier.” She handed a set to Julie, violet in color. Carrie’s was hot pink, and Flynn’s was jade green. Mira wore a sky blue set.
“Mira, have I mentioned that you’re the best lady-in-waiting ever?” Julie asked, a huge grin spreading on her face.
“Not in the last five minutes.”
…
As she walked into the training arena, flanked by Flynn, Mira, and Carrie, Julie pulled her hair into a ponytail, giving Lady Athena a grin.
“Alright, ready to show these guys how it’s done?” she asked confidently, her bronze skin shimmering in the light. Julie nodded. Lady Athena patted Julie’s shoulder and turned back to the group of about twenty young people, ranging from about thirteen to twenty, of all genders. She scanned the eyes, recognizing some of them from her previous self-defense classes, before she stopped on a pair of hazel ones.
Luke wasn’t with the group of trainees, rather standing on the sidelines. Without thinking, Julie approached him.
“Hey Luke!” His cheeks flushed.
“Hey, Julie, what’s up?”
“Not much,” she replied. “Just came early because Lady Athena wanted me to show the trainees my upside-down move.” She fidgeted, tightening her ponytail. “Why are you here? The main session doesn’t start for another thirty minutes.”
“Oh,” he said with a shy laugh. “Alex and Reggie were giving me shit for… something, and I decided to escape.” Julie caught his slip, but didn’t say anything.
“That’s valid.”
“Julie?” Called Lady Athena. “You ready?”
“That’s my cue,” she said, hopping away and over to stand next to the coach. Her eyes travelled to Flynn, Carrie, and Mira, who were standing behind the eager trainees, all giving her The Look and glancing at Luke. Julie gave them a quick death stare, before going back to smiling at the trainees.
“Okay, everyone,” Lady Athena called, quieting the chatter amongst the group. “Princess Julie is here to show us a new move she came up with. We haven’t come up for it yet, have we?”
“No, not yet,” Julie responded. “But I’m working on it. Oh, and you can all call me Julie.”
“Right. So, Julie here is going to demonstrate the move, first on her own, then with a few other people she’s brought, to show how it works against different fighting styles. Julie?”
“Okay,” she said, clapping her hands nervously. “So, the first thing is knowing when to do it. You generally do it when your opponent has you in a position where you have to lean forward.” She demonstrated, bending a bit forward. “Then, you jump, land on your hand - and it’s important that it’s the hand that matches the direction you’re facing. If you lean forward to the right, your opponent’s left, you jump on your right hand, and vice versa. Then, you spin by using momentum in your hips. This is mostly to distract them. Then, after the initial spin, you spin again, but rather than upright, you bend your elbow, lean like this-” she went through the previous moves then leaned to the side, putting down her leg to hold herself in the same position- “and spin, swinging your legs behind your opponent’s ankles to trip them backwards.” She demonstrated that bit as well, as slow as she could while still doing it correctly. “Then once they’re down, you use your spinning momentum to get on top of them and finish the fight.”
As she stood back up, she noted the confused or scared looks on the trainees’ faces, as well as an approving smile from Lady Athena and silent applause from Flynn, Mira, and Carrie- and Luke. At some point during her demonstration, he’d made his way over to her friends, and they were quietly chatting as she moved.
“That looks really hard,” one of the trainees piped up, “but super badass.” If there was a way to verbally keysmash, Julie did it.
“Thanks so much!!! Though I should tell you, the first time I did it was completely by accident, and I sprained my wrist doing the initial spin. Afterwards, the only reason I tried it again was because Flynn bet me I couldn’t.” She shot a glance at her best friend, and her smirk and nod make her laugh. “But eventually,” she continued, “Lady Athena saw me trying to do it and gave me some tips, and one thing led to another, and here we are.”
After a few moments of stunned silence, Lady Athena spoke.
“Okay, Julie, why don’t you get some water, and we’ll do the demonstrations with opponents?”
“Sounds good.” She spun on her heel, jogging over to her friends, ignoring the butterflies as she caught Luke’s eye.
“Dude, I don’t know how you managed to do that spin in slow motion,” Mira told her. Julie laughed.
“Practice and good core strength.” She sat down on the bench, Mira by her side.
“Hey, uh, Julie?” asked Luke. She was guzzling water, so she hummed a questioning tone. “Would it be okay if I joined them and tried to learn the move?” he asked, gesturing his head to the group of preparing trainees. Julie put down her water bottle, smirking, a sudden bubble of confidence welling up inside her.
“Technically, you’re not a trainee. But, you could be one of the demonstrative opponents if you want to,” she offered. “I’m supposed to show how the move works against different fighting styles, and I think a Tamborian fighting style would add some variety,” she reasoned, ignoring Carrie’s eyebrow wiggle from behind Luke.
His cheeks flushed, but he nodded with a grin.
“Sounds good, boss.” Julie flushed at the nickname.
…
As she sparred with Carrie, she spoke between her moves.
"See, Carrie fights like a dancer. She's graceful and quick-" she dodged a blow from the girl, taking the opportunity to jump on her hand and twist, spinning and quickly tripping Carrie- "but not quick enough. No opponent is going to expect you to pull a breakdancing move on them." As she got on top of Carrie, pressing her elbow across her shoulders and pinning her down, a grin spread across her face.
Julie got up and extended her hand to Carrie, who took her forearm and Julie took hers, pulling her up.
Mira was up next. She jumped into a fighting position, her flaming red hair swinging behind her. Julie smirked, making the first blow.
"Mira, on the other hand, fights like a ninja. She's lithe and graceful, but deadly." Julie leaned forward, spinning on her hand and tripping Mira, quickly pouncing over her to win, before helping her up again. Next, Flynn.
Flynn made the first move, striking near Julie's shoulder, she bolted out of the way, turning to strike back.
"Flynn is catlike when she fights," Julie explained, dodging another blow. "She's light on her feet and quick, with amazing reflexes. However-" she jumped and spun on her hand, tripping Flynn and ending the fight- "it turns out, cats don't always land on their feet." She shot Flynn a wink.
She glanced at Luke, whose cheeks were bright red, but he had a confident smile on his face. Julie grinned.
"Next I'm going to fight with Luke. He's from Tambor, so this will be new." She gestured with a quick nod for him to come over.
As Julie stepped into fighting position, Luke winked. Julie ignored the butterflies in her stomach, overwhelmed with confidence as Luke struck. She dodged and blocked, striking back any chance she had.
Luke was surprisingly competent, but very opportunistic, which Julie took advantage of. As he lost his balance, she spun upside down and tripped him, quickly using her momentum to get on top of him, pinning his hips with her leg. She grabbed his collar and pulled her fist back in a final move, but froze. It was just training, after all.
Now it was Julie's turn to wink, which seemed to fluster Luke even more.
They stayed like that for a few seconds before Julie got up, outstretching her hand to Luke. He took her forearm and she took his, pulling him up.
“Nice job!” she told him.
“Oh, please, I just got my ass kicked and you didn’t even break a sweat.” Luke rubbed the back of his neck. “I knew you were awesome, but I didn’t know you were a human wrecking ball.” Julie flushed, stammering.
“I- well, I don’t-”
“He’s right,” Carrie insisted. You were awesome.” And God, Julie wished Luke hadn’t grinned at Carrie’s agreement, because he had the cutest eyes ever. Honestly, it should’ve been illegal. Her first order of business when she was crowned queen would be to make it illegal to fluster her.
“Okay, trainees,” called Lady Athena. “Pair up and spar. If you want, spot the other and try the move. I’ll be hovering to make sure nobody gets hurt.” She clapped her hands with finality, and the trainees did as they were told. “The rest of you,” she added, directed at Julie and her group, “practice while you can. Oh, Julie, I want you to practice with Luke today. See if you can work out some similarities and differences between Dahlian and Tamborian fighting styles.”
Julie nodded, ignoring the way her heart pounded, ignoring how Luke started fidgeting, and especially ignoring the incredibly annoying looks from Mira, Flynn, Carrie, and Reggie, who had just popped in to join.
Digest those butterflies, Molina. D i g e s t t h e m.
“Alright, boss,” Luke said after a moment. “Ready to kick my ass?” Julie laughed.
“Let’s do it.”
Luke struck first, a playful grin on his face. Julie quickly deflected, twisting his arm and twirling behind him, gently (since it was training, and he was cute) shoving the backs of his knees and pinning him as he fell down, kneeling hunched over with Julie holding his wrists behind his back.
“That’s one for me!” She laughed as he groaned.
“Damn, and to think I ever thought I was good at hand-to-hand,” he said with a grin. Julie blushed and helped him up. “Wait, I want to try that spinny move thing.” Julie stepped back, letting Luke jump onto his hand, but as soon as he spun, he fell.
“Gah, my wrist!” Julie rushed over to where Luke was now sitting, reaching out to help him-
Then, that little shit grinned and grabbed her arm, pulling her down and spinning on top of her, pinning her shoulders.
He shot her a cocky grin. “And that’s one for me.” Julie rolled her eyes, hating the way her heart was fluttering.
“That wouldn’t work in a real fight, you know.” She rolled out from under him, fixing her hair.
“Oh, I know,” he said in a relaxed manner. “It’s just fun to annoy you.” Julie’s stupid heart fluttered again, and she looked away, sure her face was on fire.
“Alright, rematch.” Luke nodded, and Julie hopped into fighting position. Luke did the same, and Julie didn’t hesitate to strike. She moved quickly, remembering her forms and the movements that Lady Athena had drilled into her since she could walk. She spun, aiming for Luke’s shoulder. When he leaned to the side to dodge, she jumped onto her hand, twirling and tripping him-
Or, she tried to.
Luke had completely jumped over her legs, anticipating the move. She really shouldn’t have been surprised, but it caught her off guard. She tried to recompose herself, but Luke was quicker than he looked, and had grabbed her arm, spinning her with her back against his chest and his forearm across her shoulders, pressing tight enough to prove that he’d won, but not as hard as he would’ve if it were a real fight. If it had been real, his arm would’ve been over her throat, anyways. Julie could feel his heartbeat between her shoulder blades, and it sent a shiver down her spine.
“I win,” he said softly, but Julie could hear the shit-eating grin behind the words. She smirked to herself. No way was she going down that easy.
Before Luke could move, she reached with her arm and grabbed his wrist from its place near her collarbone, bending forwards and throwing him over her shoulder. As his back hit the ground, she spun, pressing her forearm against his shoulders and flattening herself over him so he couldn’t move.
“Actually, I win.”
…
“Okay,” Flynn said after everyone had changed and gathered back in Julie’s room. “If you can’t tell by now that Luke is in love with you, I don’t know what else to do.”
“Flynn. He’s not in love with me, nor am I in love with him.” Flynn, Carrie, and Mira all shared a look and laughed. But before Julie could respond, a knock echoed on her door.
“Come in.” Julie smiled as her dad walked into her room. “Hey dad! Everything okay?” she asked when she noticed the crease between his eyebrows.
“Not exactly.”
“Uh oh,” she replied, standing up.
“We need you in the royal office.” Julie’s stomach dropped. “Your friends can come if they would like,” he added, shooting a kind but worried glance at Flynn, Mira, and Carrie, “but this is a tense situation, and they would be required to keep it all classified.”
“We can do that,” Carrie said, a single crease between her brows. Mira and Flynn nodded. Julie couldn’t shake the nervousness in her stomach.
“Did I do something?”
“No, no, don’t worry, mija. Está bien, it’s nothing that you did. But it’s not good. Just… put on something respectable but comfortable. It might be a long night.” He turned to walk out the door, but Julie grabbed his sleeve.
“Papá, ¿qué pasó?” Ray sighed.
“Do you remember Caleb Covington? He’s the king of Krypto.”
“Yeah, but it’s been awhile.” Ray sighed again, the crease between his eyebrows deepening.
“The kingdom of Krypto has declared war on Dahlia.”
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Imma give you another one cause I can. Can be 90s or gymnastics or whatever but may I please request Bobby babysitting Anna?
set post gymnastics au
(fic here!)
word count: 538
~~~
“Okay, let’s not hurt ourselves.” Bobby said, lifting Annalise under the arms and straightening her up to stand on the grass. Even after helping at her gymnastics class, they still didn’t feel qualified to play babysitter. He certainly didn’t want to be accountable if Anna pulled a muscle stretching into the splits; having to explain an injury to Reggie wasn’t exactly on the agenda.
Anna was excitable today, more so than she usually was when Bobby was on duty. It had become routine for Bobby to watch the youngest Peters sibling while the elder was at band practice, Reggie didn’t like her to be out of his sight long these days. It was a strange way to spend a Saturday afternoon but they all found it rather enjoyable, especially when it ended with a walk along the pier and ice-cream for two of them – Bobby much preferred to have a coffee instead.
Tugging on his hand, Anna looked up at him, tongue peeping between the new gap in her front teeth. “Can you show me a flip?” She asked, her words sweetened like syrup. A familiar tactic.
“Not right now, Anna. Maybe later when I’ve warmed up.” They reason, matching her slight pout. “What’s the first rule of gymnastics?”
“You can show off when you’ve stretched.” Anna dutifully recited, her expression switching to exasperated. Even so, she seemed to give in easily and flop onto the grass outside the Molina household.
Across the yard, Bobby could hear the sounds of the band rehearsing. Alex’s steady rhythm reverberates through the garage door and Reggie’s bass hums in the air, a muffled melody of Luke’s guitar over the top, accompanied by Julie. The underscore of the sunny afternoon felt optimistic and with Anna skipping about with her usual youthful energy, it was impossible for Bobby to keep a smile from creeping onto their face. They glance at the time on their phone. Almost five. The band would be finishing up soon and then they all had plans to walk down to the bakery by the Peter’s old house.
The family had moved recently, which Bobby knew was for the better as Reggie and Anna had spent more time at the sports centre than at home. Not that they were much of a family in any case. Bobby had heard stories in passing of a dismissive father, badgering mother, the fights and the screaming matches and the responsibility Reggie decided to shoulder alone.
“Mr Bobby?” Anna ‘s voice brings him back to reality. She tips her head to one side, a mousy brown ringlet falling in front of her eyes.
They let out a warm chuckle. “Just Bobby’s okay, kid. No need to be so formal.”
“Okay, Just Bobby.” She smirks. She’s done that joke before, but it still makes him laugh. “When can we go get food?”
Her puppy eyes are just as effective as her brothers, eyebrows lifted, eyes wide and shimmering in the late afternoon sunshine. Bobby can feel his resolve crumbling under her gaze. They were nearly done rehearsing, surely it wouldn’t be a problem if they had an audience for the last few minutes?
Bobby held out their hand. “Let’s go and see if they’re ready.”
#boggie gymnastics au#queenmolina fics#boggie#jatp fics#fic requests#bobby jatp#bobby wilson#sorta boggie but mostly just anna being cute#as she should#chickwiththepurpleguitar
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jatp characters as pnf characters
julie: phineas! main character energy no matter what universe
flynn: ferb! we stan a supportive bff/sibling and also theyre both (s)he/theys
carlos: candace bc sibling who very much wants to know whats up but is also very protective
luke: isabella. puppy dog love interest energy no matter what universe
reggie: baljeet! i love my sweet book smart bb and he is totally and completely baljeet
alex: buford bc loving bully/victim dynamic
caleb: dr d obviously! cheyenne jackson would make a fantastic live action dr doofinshmirtz
#jatp#julie and the phantoms#julie molina#flynn jatp#carlos molina#luke patterson#reggie peters#alex mercer#caleb covington#phineas flynn#ferb fletcher#candace flynn#baljeet tjinder#buford van stomm#isabella garcia shapiro#heinz doofenshmirtz#dr doofenshmirtz
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