Archive of Our Own ^beta

Julie was getting ready for school, her laptop playing She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer — it had just come on by chance. This had become a daily routine for her ever since music came back into her life. But unlike any other typical day, Luke poofed in, and she messed up her eyeliner.

“Luke! What have I said about boundaries? We’ve gone over this a million times!” she groaned, grabbing a wipe to fix her smudged eyeliner.

“Shit, I’m sorry. It’s just… what was the song you just had on? It sounded pretty good,” he asked curiously.

“The song? Oh — She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer. It’s one of my favorites,” she replied, still focused on fixing her eyeliner.

“I still find it weird that you listen to music on those laptop things. I had to use a cassette or a CD player if I wanted to hear anything,” he said, deep in thought.

“Well, I’d show you how to use Spotify, but I don’t want another YouTube situation. Reggie was annoying me for weeks asking which button did what,” she snorted, finally managing to clean up her eyeliner.

“Okay, backtrack a little. What’s a Spotify?” he asked, confused.

“Oh my days,” she giggled. “It’s like showing your grandparent how to use the internet.”

“Rude. I grew up in the '80s — I’m not equipped for all your high-tech stuff,” he scoffed.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll show you how to use it. But I don’t have much time before school, so you get like… ten minutes of my time,” she said, rolling her eyes and grabbing her laptop.

Ten minutes turned into about forty-five as she showed Luke the basics — how to make playlists, how to play songs, and she even made him a little playlist of songs she thought he’d like. Then she checked the time — and realized how late she was.

“SHIT! I’m gonna be late for school. I’ve gotta go — uh, feel free to mess around on Spotify, just don’t play it loud enough for my dad to hear,” she said, rushing out.

“Noted. Hey, Jules?” he called out softly.

“Yeah?” she paused at the door.

“Thanks. You know, for showing me how to do all this.”

“No problem, Luke. I’ll see you tonight for rehearsal, yeah?” she replied, a light blush on her cheeks.

“See ya,” he said with a smile, already hyper-focused on her laptop.

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A Couple Hours Later

Julie came home, fairly tired from school, to the sound of music blasting from the studio.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she grumbled, stomping toward the studio. Luke instantly noticed her.

“Hey, Jules! I think I’ve got this whole Spotify thing figured out! It has songs I know on here too — thanks for the recs, by the way. They’re good,” he said happily.

“You’re welcome — but I think the whole damn street knows you’ve figured it out. Why on earth are you playing it so loud?” she groaned.

“Lighten up a little, Jules. Your neighborhood deserves to be blessed with my amazing music taste,” he said smugly.

“Yeah, or they’ll file noise complaints,” she grumbled.

“My music is rad. They’d be thanking us, not complaining,” he smirked, clearly enjoying pushing her buttons.

“Well, I’m complaining. Turn it down!” she yelled.

“Nah, I think I’ll pass,” he teased — then whined when she yanked the laptop from his hands.

“I’m taking my damn laptop back,” she said, storming off with it.

“Wait, Jules, I was only joking around — don’t be upse— and she’s gone. …Fuck.” He sighed. He could never seem to do the right thing around her.

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Julie sat in her room, still pissed off at Luke. She knew it wasn’t a big deal — his music taste was actually pretty good — but it frustrated her. It felt like he enjoyed teasing her, and she hated that. Her thoughts were cut off when Luke poofed into her room.

“Luke! God, how many more times do I have to say it — bou—” she started yelling, only to be cut off.

“Boundaries, I know, Jules. But this is important. I’m here to apologize,” he said quietly.

Julie blinked. Luke was usually pretty stubborn — you'd have to kill him a second time to get an apology out of him. This was… new.

“You are?” she managed to say.

“Yeah. I was out of line, okay? I was teasing you because… well, you’re cute when you’re mad — uhm, not— okay, that sounds bad. Basically, what I’m saying is, it was wrong of me. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I would’ve made you feel bad for a little longer, but you called me cute, so I’ll pass on that today,” she smirked, cheeks lightly flushed.

“I didn’t mean— I—” he shook his head, chuckling softly.

“I get it, don’t worry,” she nodded.

“I just… sometimes I don’t know how to act around you. I want to do right by you — you’re my best friend — but it’s like I keep messing up. If that makes sense?” he said, finally letting a bit of vulnerability show. The room fell silent for a few moments.

“Be you — not the cocky guy who teases me nonstop and blasts music to piss me off. Just the Luke I know. ’Cause the Luke I know is pretty damn great,” she said gently.

“But what if the me you know is scared he’ll hurt you?” he whispered.

“He could never. What makes you think that anyway?” she asked, her expression shifting to concern.

Silence.

Luke wanted to say it. He wanted to tell her — that he liked her. That he really, really liked her. But he had to be realistic. He was dead. He couldn’t expect her to want to be with someone who was dead when she could have a real future with someone alive. Someone like Nick, who was clearly head over heels for her. If he said something, it could ruin their friendship — ruin everything. But... God, he wanted to say it.

“Luke? What is it?” she asked, her voice soft, moving closer to him.

“I’m going to tell you something. And I need you to promise not to freak out… or hate me,” he said quietly.

“For the record, I could never hate you. But… I’d have to know what I’m promising first,” she said with a gentle smile.

“I like you,” he blurted out.

“I like you too, Luke. You know that,” she replied, smiling.

“No, I mean I like you like you — like, more than a friend,” he said, panic written all over his face. He couldn’t stop now.

“Oh,” Julie said quietly.

“Oh, like… ‘oh this is awkward because I don’t feel the same way’? Or ‘oh, interesting’? Or… what does oh mean, Jules?” he asked, clearly freaking out a bit. She’d never seen him like this before.

“Oh means… I’m trying to figure out how to respond to that,” she chuckled softly.

“Oh… okay,” he nodded, shifting uncomfortably.

“I… Luke, I like you too,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing a darker pink.

“You do?” he said, stunned.

“Yeah. I have for a while. I just didn’t think you felt the same way, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. So I tried to get over it,” she said softly.

“Oh.”

“Oh indeed,” she echoed with a breathy laugh.

“I like you, and you like me,” he repeated, trying to wrap his head around it. She turned to face him.

“What does this mean for us, Luke?” she whispered, taking his hand in hers.

“Well… we could be together. I know it’s not ideal, ’cause you’re alive and I’m not, but I really like you. And I’m scared — of holding you back. That’s the last thing I’d want—” he rambled, until she cut him off gently.

“Luke. Sure, it’s not ideal. But I want this. I want to be with you — no matter how bizarre it may seem,” she said softly.

“You do?” he said, a smile forming.

“I do. I want to be with you, Luke.”

“I want to be with you too, Jules,” he whispered back, smiling. A comfortable silence filled the room — until Julie broke it.

“Luke… could I maybe kiss you?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

Julie, hesitant at first, leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He kissed back, one hand moving to her waist, the other to her neck. The kiss lasted a minute or so before they pulled away, resting their foreheads together, matching smiles on their faces.

“You know, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m so glad you pissed me off earlier. ’Cause it led to this,” she said quietly.

“I’m glad now too. Maybe I should do it more often,” he teased.

“Oh, shut up,” she snorted.

“So… does this mean we’re together now, Jules?” he asked, hopeful.

“Yes, idiot. We’re together,” she smiled, then kissed him again.