#jatp fics

[thedeathdeelers]

a choice

“and so choose, luke patterson,” the voice boomed around him. “a reset, back to 1995, leading you to a life of fame and fortune, or,” the voice paused for a second, then continued. “or the 21st century, always on the brink of success, but never within your grasp.”

“will i be able to keep making music?”

“yes, but never to the same scale as what could be in 1995.”

“will i be able to keep the ones i love?”

“yes, you will have your family no matter your decision.”

“but julie.. what about julie?”

“if you choose to go back, her memory of you will cease. she will only know you as a famous musician, born decades before her.”

“but she’s family!”

“choose, luke.”

“i-“

“fame or julie molina. you must make your decision.”

“i choose…”

//

the voice fades, and the pitch black room he was in disappears — suddenly there’s a flash of light, and luke is blinking furiously, eyes struggling to readjust.

it takes him a moment, but his vision starts clearing, little pieces of the space around him coming into focus.

his journal on the coffee table, alex’ kit pushed towards the back and reggie’s jacket draped over the couch — the studio just like they left it.

luke continues to scan the space, heartbeat starting to pick up when he sees no hints of julie anywhere — no piano, no coloured gel pens, no hair-clips nor plants.

did the voice make a mistake? was he back in 1995?

was he…never going to see julie again?

the panic rises while luke is rooted to the spot, unable to move.

what had he done? what was happening? why-

“luke?” he hears from the doorway- the voice of an angel.

he spins so fast he loses his footing, but barely has time to recuperate before a small mass of curly hair and blurry limbs come hurtling towards him, slamming into his body.

his arms reflexively come up, holding her in place and pulling her into him.

“julie,” he breathes out, his heart beating a mile a minute.

“you’re- you’re really here?” she chokes out, her slim arms tightening around his neck.

“i am,” he says, disbelief still evident in his voice. “i am.”

julie molina.

choosing julie meant choosing music — it was as obvious to luke as breathing.

she was music.

and luke knew that no matter what, he will always choose julie molina.

#idk lmao???? literally his popped into my head #i wrote most of this right before i passed out last night so. yknow. #this is all over the place holy shit #anyway #jatp #juke #julie and the phantoms #HAPPY JUKE JEUDI! #i genuinely apologise to anyone who reads this it’s just not great but i wrote it so imma POST JT #my fics #jatp fics

[joynershats]

hey guys if I seriously finish writing my season 2 and 3 of jatp would you read it cause I've never craved writing anything quite so much but I'm scared it's irrelevant now

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp fics

[ericsariels]

we go together like danny and sandy by jjskiaras on AO3

fandom: julie and the phantoms (2020), pairing: julie molina and luke patterson, rating: teen, word count: 11,166

“No problem.” Luke’s words were easy-going, but he approached her slowly. She jumped when his knuckles unexpectedly grazed the curve of her neck as he pulled the curtain of her curls to the side, doing his best to drape the springy curls over her left shoulder.

“Sorry.” His voice was gravelly as a soft chuckle passed his lips. “I know my fingers are rough, I always seem to misplace my guitar picks.”

“I know.” She pressed her lips together, guilty. She didn’t want to admit how many times she’d picked up his discarded guitar picks from the stage after a performance. “It’s okay.”

Julie shot Luke a shy smile in the mirror which he returned, his lips titling adorably to one side and his eyes shining. She was down so bad.

Or Luke and Julie go to a Halloween party as Danny and Sandy from Grease. And “You’re The One That I Want” makes a special appearance.

#juke fics #jatp fics #jatp #julie and the phantoms #juke #jukebox #julie molina #luke patterson #i’m sorry that i’m posting halloween fic in december but i had to get it out of my system #my writing #*

[tangledstarlight]

i hear the rocks and the stones (echoing our song)

juke | ao3 | 4,856 words |complete

“Alright, boss?” Luke asks, voice low and soft as his thumb rubs over her knuckles and looks down at her. Or maybe he’d already been looking at her, Julie doesn’t know. “Mhm,” she hums, trying for a smile but knowing it probably looks as forced as it feels, “Just thinking about how every time I’ve been on this elevator it’s led to a fight.” Luke chuckles lightly and the smile on his lips makes her own start to feel more real, like an instinct that she just can’t fight, something that grows stronger when he seems to echo her own thoughts, “Aye well, at least we know darling Maleficent won't be waiting down there for us.”

aka the once upon a time-esque juke au that's taken up residence in my head for the last week. based on s5 ep20 where emma and hook try to find ambrosia that will let him come back to life.

(i come crawling out of the depths of my own kind of hell to give you all ✨this✨. don't need to have watched ouat to understand, it's pretty straight forwards!)

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #julie molina #luke patterson #jatp fics #people you should have seen me trying to remember how to post on ao3. it is not riding a bike. i was very confused ghfjd #anyway. is this any good? debatable! but it is the first thing i have managed to complete in a whole year so i'm throwing it into the #world anyway. pls enjoy. pls be nice 😌 #*fics #also. enjoy my cute lil graphic. i had to improvise because i finally manged to cnacel my #photoshop subscription lmoa

[lydias--stiles]

After a particularly successful performance with the band, Luke writes a love song for the first time in his life.

#FINE HERE IT IS #juke #jatp fics #my fic #my work #ao3 #electric touch (taylor's version)

[onlygenxhere]

Master Fic List for OnlyGenXHere on AO3

It's far past time for me to pin a list of all my fics to the top of this page. So here we are... Total as of 4/11/23 is 27 Ratings from G to E.

Found Family Fluff (my 1st series)

Eat the Chip Rated G

It's a couple of weeks after the Orpheum and Julie is wondering what's going on with her and Luke and their interesting little relationship.

A Bigger Table Rated G

“It was no problem, we really needed a bigger table with all you boys staying here now.”

Not Today Satan Rated G (high G for cuddles)

Alex and Willie are hanging out, being super cute, going through music Alex missed in the last 25 years when Julie comes in and interrupts them with a surprising revelation.

Fix You Rated G (high G for sadness)

Sometimes a good cry is good for the soul.

Game Time Rated G

Carlos loves playing video games with the boys. He needs Julie’s help so he can communicate with them or they’ll never beat this level. Fun times.

Burn Baby Burn Rated T

Julie and Luke making out in a hammock

Faith Hope and Love Rated T (sickness and drama)

Luke is just trying to spend a quiet night on the beach catching up on 25 years of music but something is wrong with Julie.

Don't Want to Miss a Thing Rated G

Alex is feeling guilty for not coming when Julie was sick. Now she's home and he and the guys are all keeping her company in her room when he starts to notice something has changed between all of them.

Catching up with Tia Victoria Rated T (low T)

Victoria's take on all that has happened with some backstory of her and Rose too.

The Risk is Worth the Reward Rated T

Flynn is the last person in Julie’s immediate family that couldn’t see the guys without touching her. She's actively keeping them out of her heart. What will it take to get her to take the risk.

Like Real People Do Rated T

Julie and Luke are hoping to spend a nice quiet day alone just living in the now as much as they can after a crazy few weeks. Sometimes quiet can be overrated.

Falling Toward the Future College AU series

Falling Toward the Future Rated Mature (Main Fic)

College au - 29 chapters, 150K+

On a very special episode of Falling Toward the Future - Ch - 13a

Rated E - Explicit outtake

Let’s Forget for Awhile - Ch15a

Rated E - Explicit outtake

My favorite Alarm Clock – Ch-19a

Rated E - Explicit outtake

The Stars are Watching – Ch24a

Rated E - Explicit outtake

Happy Birthday Ray Rated G

Checking in with the band and family on Ray's birthday about 18 months after the end of FttF

An Unlikely Duo Rated T

Willie and Carrie buddy story that takes place while the band and Flynn off on tour for an extended amount of time. There are puppies.

Jukebox Baby series Rated T

We're Having a Baby Part 1

Aged up Juke decide to have a baby and get pregnant.

We're Having a Baby Part 2

First trimester of Juke's pregnancy

We're Having a Baby Part 3

Second trimester of Juke's pregnancy

We're Having a Baby Part 4

Third trimester and birth of baby LJ

We Had a Baby (meet LJ)

The family meets the new baby.

We Say We're Friends

Prequel to We're having a baby. How Julie and Luke meet and become friends.

We Play Pretend

Luke and Julie’s relationship never wavers as they navigate the stress of high school, parents and tragedy.

You're More to Me

Luke has graduated and Julie is finishing up her last two years of high school before heading off to college.

The Naughty Files - Rated M/E

When the Heart is Already Fond Absence Just Makes You Horny

Jukebox Mature, pwp, could be college years of juke from Jukebox baby universe

Bad Boys get Spankings

Luke has been an inattentive husband and Julie decides he needs to be taught a lesson. They had no idea they’d both enjoy it so much.

Love the Way You Love Me

Aged up established Julie, Reggie and Luke enjoying a night out at a club in the Caribbean where they're having a working vacation. They get up to a whole LOT of hanky panky. Rated E

Set Fire to the Rain

Julie is away at college. She’s been so busy since she got here she’s only seen Luke when she’d come home for gigs with the band every other weekend. She misses being alone with him desperately… She’s not the only one feeling this way. Rated M

Stand Alones

What if I’m someone I don’t want around Rated T

Title and prompt taken from Falling by Harry Styles. Super AU for how I think Luke really is.

As Long as We Have Each Other Rated T (high)

Aged up Juke go through a miscarriage

Maybe I Could be Yours

Explicit - Royalty AU

Fireworks - rated T

Three different stories between three different couples that take place during a fireworks show on the 4th of July.

Jukebox One-shots - rated T

Julie and Luke ficlets that don’t really have a place in any of my series.

JATP One=shots - rated T

ficlets that aren't specifically Juke, may include willex, rarrie and rukebox

The Truth if Finally Breaking Through - rated T

It’s the 1st tour for Julie & the guys the summer after they graduate High School. Julie & Luke have been dancing around their feelings for 3 years. 3 weeks crammed in tight quarters & singing together nearly every night may be more than the ever growing tension between them can take. Big Bang 2023 entry.

Julie and Luke's Book of Dares - rated T

Dash and Lilly AU featuring Julie and Luke. Christmas fic where Luke leaves a red notebook in a used bookstore for someone/Julie to find and they start writing back and forth with each other leaving dares in exchange for personal, heartfelt conversation.

A Day in the Life of a Ghost Bassist - rated T

Reggie’s day starts out pretty much like it has every day since Julie gave them her magical hug a couple weeks ago. But some things are changing too little by little.

Then some days, like today, something big changes all at once.

#jatp fanfiction #jatp fics #my writting #ao3 onlygenxhere #ao3 writer

[paronoiccake]

Ok but imagine a Princess diaries 2 AU with juke?

Like Julie is the princess and she's ready to be queen but this guy shows up saying his nephew is also an heir to the throne? The guy is Caleb, who clearly wants to manipulate his nephew to get to the throne cause... Y'know its Caleb, he wants power

And then his nephew, the guy who's trying to still Julie's crown turns out to be Luke

The guy that danced with her on her birthday party. That was sweet and a little flirty. The guy she spent the rest if the night thinking about. And he's the one saying she can't be queen.

And like since the stupid law says Julie can't be a queen while being unmarried, she needs a husband. And it can be one of the guys. Maybe Reggie cause they're already good friends and it could make things easier. Or maybe Alex (again cause they're already friends) and it can add to the drama cause Alex falls in love with Willie, the guy that is responsible for Julie's security.

And then basically Juke falling in love and the chemistry and tension and Luke being cute and uncertain and Caleb being a jerk

Maybe we can add the music to it and make Juke connect through their live for music it would be cute

That's it somebody please write this or send me the link if it exists already

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #luke patterson #julie molina #juke #alex mercer #reggie peters #jatp juke #jatp fics

[willexmagic]

i’m dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower

willex, one-shot, 3.5k written as a part of @jatpfs secret santa for @ficsinpinkink!

If Alex just dissociates hard enough, he can pretend it’s some wayward child making noise and not an adult who doesn’t understand their own tone deafness.

Or he could just be less petty and rude, but after such a rough day he’s accepted that won’t happen.

-

Or, the one where Alex’s shower neighbor is the most insufferable singer ever.

link to ao3 in reblogs!

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fics #willex #willie jatp #alex mercer #fics #willie #alex #otp: i'd do anything for you #mine

[the-sunshine-queen-writes]

you’re written on my heart (even if I don’t know it) (multichapter)

Pairing: Alex/Willie

Tws: mentions of past homophobia and religious trauma

You know those things you kind of just do on a whim and don’t expect much to really come out of it but suddenly it’s started to occupy your every thought? Yeah, that’s what happened to one Alexander Mercer. He started something and it expanded, and now he’s entered into an interesting little relationship he was never expecting.

And it all started, with a letter.

Or, Alex and Willie get paired to be pen pals and learn about each other and themselves.

Fic link and tag list in reblogs

#willex #julie and the phantoms #jatp fics #a ray of sunshine and a mischievous scamp #jatp big bang 2022

[jukeboxstan]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Underage Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson Characters: Julie Molina, Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn Taylor Additional Tags: Fluff, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Juke Centric, the others are mentioned - Freeform, Important Relationship Conversations, Julie learns about love boners, this is me slowly cross-posting all the tumblr prompts Series: Part 7 of Juke Drabbles, Part 2 of Hallway!Juke Summary:

Luke and Julie check off one of the items on her "gross PDA" checklist, but they end up having some important relationship conversations as well.

Oh, and Luke gets a love boner.

Based on the tumblr prompt “so do you…love me back, or?” and “just listen, all right, and stop laughing”

Hallway!Juke, my beloved.

#this guy finally made its way over to ao3! #shared it here on tumblr several weeks ago #but wanted to share again for anyone who missed #juke #jatp #juke fics #jatp fics #my writing #juke prompts

[thedeathdeelers]

tears

julie wakes up in the middle of the night to the feeling of dampness near the base of her neck. she stretches her limbs as she blinks her eyes open, reaching up with her fingers to wipe away at what she figured was sweat.

but when her fingers close in on the source, they bump into a nose. a pair of familiar chapped lips. unnecessarily long eyelashes.

she pulls her hand back down, eyes more alert than they were a second ago, and slowly turns around, careful not to jostle the arms around her middle.

she hadn’t noticed how tightly they were wrapped around her — had he been holding onto her like this all night?

once settled and facing luke, julie carefully reaches out and rest her hand against his cheek. her fingers slowly start to wipe away at the tears, though a fresh stream was still trickling down his face.

the sight of luke crying, especially in his sleep, broke her heart.

all the feelings he worked so hard to keep hidden from everyone still found a way to haunt him; even in his sleep.

he stirs under her touch, arms reflexively tightening around her as he pulls her in closer, legs tangling with hers.

he blinks his eyes open, the haze of sleep taking a few moments to clear as he slowly focuses on her, on the expression of worry that must be clouding her features.

“what’s wrong jules?” he asks in a mumble, voice still hoarse from sleep. he clears his throat, and continues. “you okay?”

julie takes him in for a second, swallowing down the lump forming in her throat as she swipes her thumb across his cheek again.

“you’re crying,” she whispers as she watches him carefully.

“i am?” luke blinks, the surprise clear on his face.

at her words, he reaches up and touches the corner of his eye.

“huh,” he says, staring dazedly at the moisture on the tip of his finger.

“are you okay?” she asks, both hands now gently cradling his face.

luke’s eyes flick back up to meet hers, brow furrowing for a second before smoothing back out, a small smile curling the corner of his lips.

“yeah, yeah i’m okay.”

“luke-“

“i swear jules,” he says, cutting her off. “i- it was just an old dream.” he continues, his own hands reaching up to cradle her cheeks. she doesn’t realise she’s also crying until she feels his fingers wiping at the few tears trailing down her face. “these are happy tears,” he chuckles. “i’m just so thankful that the past is the past….and that this is my present.” he pulls he in a little closer. “that you are my present.” his smile grows in size as he rests his forehead against hers. “and my future.”

julie can only nod at his words as she struggles to swallow down the sudden surge of emotions, blinking rapidly to dispel the build up of tears.

she smiles a small watery smile, wrapping her arms around his neck as she takes in a deep breath, closes her eyes and settles back into his embrace.

there were okay. they were going to be okay.

#???? #anyway #happy juke jeudi! #everyone say thank u imène’s drafts #jatp #juke #julie and the phantoms #jatp fics #my fics

[joynershats]

I am BEGGING for jatp fics recs please spam your favourites or the ones you've written I'll read everything I'm on my knees

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp fics #jatp fic #jatp fanfic #alex mercer #willex #julie molina #luke patterson #reggie peters #jatp willie #willie ortega #juke #jatp juke #willex fic #juke fic #jukebox

[fleursfairies]

i really dont need some extravagant 100k word fanfiction with slow burns and angst

all i need is a small 1k word fic where they are sitting on the floor of their childhood bedroom with dust particles seen through the golden sun shining through the window. i need a first kiss, someone walking in unexpectedly, cracking a joke, then a sweet scene of them saying "about time 💀"

thats really all i ask for

#i've literally read two long fics 💀 #they were all the young dudes and juxtaposition #although idk if i actually finished atyd #i like super short and sweet fics #wolfstar #byler #jeric #ruke #ruke jatp #deanmus #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #rarry #hedric #linny #lumax #elmax #willex #anderperry #jancy

[tangledstarlight]

home (it's where ever you are)

Home for Luke has never really been a place.

Even when he was little he’d always thought about home as wherever his parents where. The place where he’d see them dancing in the kitchen to whatever was playing on the radio, where his dad would ruffle his hair when he came home from work, where his mom was cooking in the kitchen. 

And when he’d met Alex and Reggie, home had expanded to them as well. He handed over little parts of his heart and his soul and trusted them to keep it safe. His mom always used to tell him to be careful about who he gave his heart away to, who he trusted, people could always let you down. Hurt you even if they didn’t mean too. 

So Luke decided to hand over the rest of his heart to music. To make it a home between the strings of his guitar and leave pieces of it in the pages of his notebooks. Because maybe his mom was right, and one day someone would take the piece of his heart he’d given them and break it, but music would never do that to him. 

Music had only ever been his safe space after all. 

He was 8 the first time that he asked his dad about the music playing in their house, when he learned about bands and singers and lyrics. And about the guitar lost to the attic from a dream that had long since been given up on. Luke had spent the rest of his day scribbling words that rhyme, and some that don’t, across the blank sheets of paper that his dad gave him, and asked questions until his head hit his pillow that night. 

He dreamt of stages and lights and a guitar heavy in his hands, of lyrics that float through the air sung by a voice he can’t quite make out. 

He was 12 when he got his first guitar and spent hours, and days, and weeks teaching himself the songs that his parents used to dance around their kitchen too. He plays one of them for them on a Saturday night, fingers aching and guitar still a little too big and handwritten sheet music at his feet. 

They had clapped and smiled and asked what else he could play and Luke had suddenly realised what people meant when they talked about finding what they were good at. Finding what they were meant to do. 

It’s the day he really falls in love with music and decides he’ll do anything to feel like that every day. To make people smile and request something else. 

He was 14 and had just finished writing his first song that he thinks is actually good, when he asked Reggie and Alex if they wanted to start a band. Alex had been playing drums for the school band for a year and Reggie was just itching for a reason to play the bass he’d found in his grandparents house. 

So they clear out his parent’s garage, and when they get annoyed, they cobble together pocket money and odd jobs and find a garage to rent instead. They asked Bobby to join when they’re two months in and just shy of 15 and realise they need another sound, and that four on stage just looks better then three.

The first time they play together, after false starts and out of time choruses, that first full run through that goes without a hitch tells Luke that this is right. It’s where he’s supposed to be, with the people he’s supposed to be with, they were going to be legends. 

He’s 17 when the fights with his parents got too much, when his mom stopped listening and even his dad couldn’t meditate anymore. They wanted him to finish school, to go to college, to have a back up plan, all Luke heard is that they didn’t believe in him, in his boys, in their dreams. It’s as he rides his bike away, not even looking over his shoulder that he remembered what his mom had told him once. 

About being careful of who you gave your heart too.

He’d never thought his first true heartbreak would be his mom not believing in him. 

Luke fell in love with music how some people fall in love with a person. 

It's not until he’s 17 and dead and a ghost and alive again that he realises music has always been a person to him. He just hadn’t met her yet.

He’s 17 and standing in a garage they’d once rented as the sun is coming up, painting the room in shades of yellow and gold, shining on Julie Molina as she sings. Bright and clear and full of more emotions then he knows how to name. He’s known her less than twelve hours but Luke knows her. 

Knows her voice and her music and her smile. Thinks maybe he’s known it all his life without really knowing it. 

Luke remembers being a kid and deciding to give his heart to music, to trust it would keep it safe and whole. That home to him was always going to be where the people he loved were, the people he trusted with his very soul. Hearing Julie sing for the first time feels like coming home.

#julie and the phantoms #julie molina #luke patterson #jatp #jatp fics #what's this you ask? well i don't rightly no either actually ghfjds #in my attempt to over come the writers block from hell we're just tip tapping anything on a page and hoping for the best😌 #though i will say i fully started this like. last year i think? so if the tones are totally different that is why lmao #oh no another fic where julie is music is home to luke what a shock

[lydias--stiles]

Juke kisses!

33. An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.

33. An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it

(all human, high school au)

Luke Patterson has crushed on Julie Molina for the past year now. It was hard not to. She was incredibly pretty, and kind, and talented — her voice... he'd never get over it — and no one ever uttered a bad word about her. She was a year under him, her a sophomore and him a junior, but shared music classes and have spoken a handful of times.

She probably thought nothing of it, he presumed, but he laid thinking of every interaction at night when he couldn't sleep; when even music couldn't satiate his circling thoughts.

A crush was so stupid. He couldn't do anything with it! It pestered his mind and distracted him and he rather suffered through AP Calc than untangle his emotions each time Julie smiled at him.

Alex has suggested to 'just ask her out', but it seemed... impossible. Julie was like the freaking sun, while he was a punk-rock dude trying to get his band off the ground. Reggie believed girls liked guys in rock bands, but Julie sang pop and jazz songs. She didn't even follow Sunset Curve's Instagram.

(Yeah, he checked. Like a fucking idiot.)

She did follow Alex' personal account though, since he was friends with Carrie and Carrie was friends with Julie. But she didn't post that much. The last an exasperated Alex reported was an Instagram Story of Flynn Taylor and her at a coffee shop.

Sitting at the back of the music class, jiggling his leg, he watched the back of Julie's head as she stood up and went to the piano for her assignment. They all had to compose compose a song of thirty seconds and create accompanying lyrics. He'd gone and shredded his guitar to pieces, singing a snippet from 'Now or Never' — he was still working on it — but he was more excited about Julie's act.

Miss Harrison nodded encouragingly, and Julie began.

His entire body stilled when the first lyrics left her mouth. God, she was amazing. She sounded otherworldly, her voice technically strong yet tender and vulnerable enough to touch anyone. Jazz wasn't his preferred genre, but he liked when Julie sang it. Moving to the edge of his seat, he intently watched the way her dark curls danced as she shook her head. It felt like she experienced each of the lyrics as new.

When she finished, he noticed her shaky hands and how quickly they jerked to her sides. Was she nervous? Did she have stage-fright? Luke couldn't imagine that.

When she walked back to her seat, her eyes moved up and met his gaze. With a stuttering heart at the sudden contact, he shot her a smile and thumbs up. Like a loser. She sent a weak smile back and sat down.

Luke closed his eyes with a pained sigh. A thumbs up? What the fuck? He didn't dare looking in her direction for the rest of class.

After the bell rang and they all filed out of the classroom, he noted a flyer taped to the wall. His eager eyes zeroed in on the chunky font. There was an open mic night happening at the Eats & Beats in a couple weeks! Luke straightened up in excitement and took a photo of the flyer, sending it to the group chat with the boys.

Reggie replied immediately with a bunch of emojis and a resounding: YES! Alex replied with the idea to go there after school and already sign up.

What Luke hadn't expected in a million years though, wouldn't even conjure in his dreams, was to find Julie there, leaning over the sign-up sheet with an E&B pen. Flynn leaned against the bar beside her, chattering away.

Reggie bumped into Luke when he'd stopped in the threshold, frozen. "Whoa!"

"Sorry," Luke muttered, moving aside and patting Reggie on the shoulder. "I, uh, got-"

"Distracted," Alex grinned, nodding at the two girls.

Reggie perked up. "Ooh! This is good! This is your shot!"

HIs voice, loud and boisterous, captured the attention of the girls and they looked their way, surprised. Shit. He could kill Reg right now.

"Hey, guys," Flynn exclaimed, waving at them. "Are you signing up for the Open Mic as well?"

Reggie stepped towards her first, all enthusiasm and swagger, followed by a bemused Alex and ending with an awkward Luke. Damn, normally he oozed confidence and had no issue taking the lead, but with her around...

"Yeah!" Reggie said. "Los Feliz is ready for Sunset Curve! Tell you friends!"

"Sure."

Julie handed Alex the pen. "Here. There's one slot left."

"Thank God," the drummer exhaled, quickly jotting the band's name down. "I told you guys we had to leave immediately!"

Somehow, the conversation developed into the five of them sitting at one of the booths and ordering milkshakes, chatting about music and lamenting about school. Luke never hung out with anyone but the boys, so it felt like an out of body experience having Julie sit opposite of him, laughing and talking and chilling with him, holy fucking shit.

Julie was the first to leave when she received a text from her aunt asking about her whereabouts. A sheepish — cute — expression covered her face as she explained the situation and bid them goodbye. Luke watched her go.

Flynn sipped on her shake and eyed him eying her. "You're not subtle, Patterson."

His neck jerked back, gawking at Flynn. "Huh?"

The girl raised a brow, unimpressed, and nodded at the door which Julie left from. "She's, like, super into Nick Dawson."

Oh. Nick Dawson. Of course. He hadn't spoken to the guy, but he knew the sophomore played lacrosse and was decent on the electric guitar. Of course, Julie liked someone from her year: they probably spoke often. Luke knew he had no shot, but having it confirmed... damn. It hurt.

Alex seemed stunned. "Wow. Plot twist."

Reggie pouted. "I'm not sure I like this plot twist."

Flynn shrugged. "Truth hurts."

That evening, he used the shock of Flynn's words to tinker on the lyrics to Now Or Never and reworked a verse. Any strong emotion always helped him write.

Hear the noise, in my head/It's calling out like a voice I can't forget/One life, no regrets/Catch up, got no time to catch my breath

In the weeks leading up to the Open Mic, the band, Julie and Flynn spent more time together. The first time after Flynn's revelation, however, he still acted awkward until an annoyed Alex took charge.

"Stop putting her on a pedastal and talk to her," Alex hissed, before pushing his shoulder and towards Julie.

She watched him stagger and raised her brows, amused. They rented a practice room at school and she was currently sorting through her sheet music. "Are you okay, Luke?" Her voice rolled with ease, like the waves of the ocean, and he had a hard time acting normal about it.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Do you, uh, do you know what you're gonna do?"

"Just a song I've been working on," she shrugged. "It still needs something, but maybe performing it will help me figure it out. What about you guys?"

"The full version of the song I played in class last week," he said. Nerves cracked and began to splinter away. Alex was right. Julie was a fellow musician and he shouldn't act like she was this deity. She was just a girl. He could talk to her. "I'm still working on it, too."

She perked up, intrigued. "Can I read what you have? Maybe I can give some feedback?"

"Uh," he trailed, rubbing the back of his neck, "it's a punk-rock song."

"So?"

"No offense, Julie, but you're a jazz-pop singer."

She frowned. "Just because we don't sing the same, doesn't mean I can't help." Holding out her hand, she beckoned the black notebook clutched in his grip. Another trait he could add to the never-ending list of qualities about her: strong-willed.

And she did help. With a sparkly pencil, she annotated in the margins of his book with her loopy, elegant handwriting. A stark contrast to his chicken scratch. It was honestly impressive she could read it at all.

It was easy working with her, too. Sitting side by side, they didn't always agree with each other, but it never felt like an argument that needed to be won. It was rather like how he talked with the boys: an honest, impassioned discussion about music. And he loved it.

Ever since, him and Julie were actual friends. Luke couldn't fucking believe it. He still liked her, a lot, and it worsened each time they hung out. But he reminded himself Julie liked someone else. He has always valued friendship above all else, even music, and that wouldn't change now.

Reggie was upset by that development when he asked Luke about it. "Aw, what? I'm still hashtag team Juke though."

"Shut up, dork."

Luke reveled in Julie's attention. She really listened to what he wanted to achieve with his songs and had an extensive music history knowledge.

"You should see my dad's office," she joked, "it's just full of music books and nothing else."

Her favourite colour was purple, she made her own friendship bracelets, she enjoyed PB&J sandwiches as a midnight snack, she doodled on her shoes and books and clothes, she loved dahlias, and she smelled like flowers, too. She drank coffee with loads of milk and sugar. She whined the most about science class, but adored her English teacher. Dionne Warwick was her go-to when she felt uninspired. Bit by bit, day by day, Luke began to understand Julie on a deeper level.

On the final evening before the open mic, the two were the last ones in the practice room at school. The lights were already off in the hallway and any moment, the janitor would come by and tell them to pack it up.

"What if I change the ending to this—" Julie played a sequence on the piano. "Instead of the other thing?"

A pensive Luke mulled it over. "Both are awesome, Julie."

"But...?"

"I don't know." Scratching his neck, he placed his guitar down and sat beside her on the piano bench, their legs pressed together. If she heard his hammering heart, then so be it. "Maybe, what if you blend the two together. The first part of the first sequence with the last notes of the other one."

Her head tilted, amused, and handed him her pencil. "Show me, because I don't always speak Luke-lingo, you know."

With a roll of the eye, he tsked. "Luke-lingo. To me, that just means I have my own style."

"Sure," she giggled. That giggle. Why did she have to be so cute?!

Ignoring the warmth filling in his chest and neck, he wrote the alternative ending in the margin and tapped the pencil against it. "Like this."

Julie peered at it. He knew she wore glasses, but she never wore them to school. He bet she looked cute like that, too. "Hmm..." Her hands hovered above the keys, and then, just like that, she played what he wrote with ease. The combined melody sounded like magic, twin smiles blooming on their faces in satisfaction.

When she finished, Julie grinned and squeezed his arm. "Thanks, Luke. It's perfect this way."

The boy chuckled, a little breathy at the contact, but before he could say something (do something), the janitor appeared in the treshold.

"C'mon, lovebirds," he grumbled. "Out."

Red-faced and flustered at the comment, the two left the music room faster than before, until they shared a look and burst out in laughter. It didn't hurt, somehow, to laugh about it. Maybe he was finally getting over it, this silly crush.

"How are you getting home?" Luke asked once outside.

Julie waved her phone around, the light illuminating her face. "My dad's picking me up. You have your bike?"

He nodded, the bike rack a couple feet away with his janky bike waiting on him. That thing has survived many crashes into the Los Feliz bushes.

"Okay," she smiled. It had a glimmer of nervousness to it. Luke suddenly realised how close they stood, just like how they sat at the piano moments ago, and a shortness of breath overtook him. "Goodnight, Luke."

"Night, Julie," he smiled, faint. "We're gonna rock it tomorrow."

"Yeah," she whispered. And then, before he knew it, Julie stretched on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Luke froze.

Holy. Shit.

A car rolled into the parking lot and a flushed Julie waved at him. "Bye!"

#juke #jatp fics #jatp #julie and the phantoms

[kkqueergurl]

if yall weren’t sold on the jatp season 2:

I present my evidence

#jatp #jatp headcanons #flarrie jatp #flynn jatp #ruke jatp #jatp willex #jatp netflix #jatpedit #jatp fanfic #julie molina #luke patterson #reggie peters #sunset curve #jatp fic