STARDUST ⭑ LUKE PATTERSON

six and a half

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING."

"Do any of us really know what we're doing?"

"Thank you for those wise words, Reginald," Emmy says. She turns to Alex who was panicking, tools in his glove cladden hands. "As for you Alex, I would hope you know what you're doing because you're bleaching my hair."

"Girl, there's too much of it. Let's just shave it."

Luke laughs at Alex's words. The four of them were squeezing into one small bathroom, and it didn't help that Luke thought he could sit and strum at his guitar while sitting on the counter. Every so often, he would pivot one way, and Reggie had the neck of an instrument poking at his behind.

"I really want it to be purple though. It won't be purple if my hair's still black."

Luke hops down from his perch, resting the guitar in the tub. He takes the brush from Reggie's clammy hands and begins to brush through Em's knotted hair. Something about it felt so intimate, to sit there and have the love of her life, (but not the love of his life according to Em), drag a brush delicately through her hair.

With deep concentration, Luke applied the bleach to her hair. "Can you guys believe we're gonna be playing the Orpheum in a week?" Alex marvels, head leaning back against the bathroom door. His eyes sparkle and his mouth curls into the dopiest smile.

"Yeah, but can you believe we're gonna be touring in less than a month?" Reggie adds on, Luke grinning widely in response. "Sold out stadiums, screaming crowds—screaming girls."

Emmy's heart falls at that, especially at the way Reggie nudges Luke in the side. She watched through the mirror, trying to make sure her face of discomfort wasn't apparent.

Of course there would be girls fawning over them. They weren't ugly, and they played instruments and got sweaty on stage. That's so attractive. Emmy's nibbles at her bottom lip.

"I'm gonna miss you, Em," Alex declares, shuffling over to sit on the sink right in front of her. She smiles softly at that, eyes cast down. "You can say it back, you know," he sing-songs.

Emmy rolls her eyes, looking up at him with a faux look of annoyance. "I'm not a liar, Alex."

"I feel icky," Reggie starts, "knowing that we'll be living out this dream without you by our side."

Emmy attempts to turn and look at him, immediately being scolded by Luke, his hands delicately pressing against her neck to turn her back. The brush of bleach glides through her dark hair.

"I'll be there for your local shows," she reassures.

The light above them flickers, Alex gasping. "That was a sign from the universe!" His eyes fall into a defensive glare. "You're lying."

Emmy reaches over to slightly slap his knee, Luke's hands going up before he accidentally brushes bleach into her shoulder. "I'll be there in spirit," she tells him.

Alex pauses for the lights to flicker. They don't. He nods at her in approval.

"You and Luke wrote a bunch of our songs. You don't even get to see us perform," Reggie sighs. "How're you gonna write more music when you're not together? Oh my God," Reggie shoots up to sit straight. "Who're you gonna hang out with when none of us are here?"

"Thanks," Emmy drawls out. She shrugs. "No clue, but I'll figure it out."

"Maybe she'll get a boyfriend," Alex jokes.

"Then what are we supposed to do when we come back to visit?" Luke asks absentmindedly. Both Reggie and Alex turn to look and give him looks of bafflement. Quickly, Luke says, "I mean, if she spends all her time with her boyfriend, will she have time for us when we're here?" Reggie gives him a subtle thumbs up.

"I'm always gonna have time for you," she says, "guys. You guys."

Without another moment, they erupt into another conversation. Emmy's mind was elsewhere, pondering her future with no Reggie. No Alex. No Luke. They would all leave. They would come back, but they would always leave again for another tour.

Her stomach twists uncomfortably.

By the time the whole head was done, many laughs had been shared, Alex was in the bathtub, and Reggie was sitting on the covered toilet seat with his pants around his ankles for the sole humor of it.

"Wow," Emmy giggles, looking at herself in the reflection. She did not look attractive with her hair slicked back like that. "Do you guys still love me when I look like this?"

Luke, without a beat replies, "Y-Yeah."

And that was the first time Emmy (Reggie and Alex too) heard Luke stutter.

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onlyphans:
the next chapters will reveal some plot so hehehehehehehehehehehe buckle up theyre dropping around christmas and they are ~angsty~