˗ˏˋ I BELIEVE ࿐ྂ
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* ˚ ✦ ᷾
*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*
WAKE UP
*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*
AS THE GHOSTS get back to the studio, they find a surprise waiting.
"no way my drums!" alex exclaims as he runs over to the set, running his fingers over the instrument and picking up the sticks, spinning one with his fingers.
the other three run to their instruments and luke smiles. "one, two, three, four!" he shouts and the four of them start to play rock music.
"yeah!" y/n shouts as her fingers run over the keys as they play together.
julie stomps over as she opens the door. "guys! guys, stop!" she yells over the music. "enough! stop! cut it out!"
they end the music, luke, being extra, does a last little riff before stopping.
"nice shoes." y/n comments, setting the keytar on the stand.
julie looks down and groans at her monster slippers. "the whole neighborhood could hear you. i thought i asked you to leave." she changes the topic, crossing her arms.
"wait. people can hear us play?" luke asks.
"yes!" julie snaps, "and so did my dad and my brother!"
"w-w-wait." alex says, standing up, "so, only you can see us, but everyone can hear us?"
"what kind of ghosts are we?" y/n asks the group, all of them with bright smiles on their faces.
"who cares? people can hear us play!" luke says, shaking her shoulders with excitement, fist bumping reggie and alex.
"we might be dead, but our music isn't." reggie nods along.
another person walks in the studio, ray, julie's dad. "dad!" julie says, drawing the ghosts attention.
"hey." ray replies. "just making sure you're ok."
"yeah i'm fine. i had to turn off the cd player." julie answers while fidgeting nervously with her hands.
"wait. is this the junk that was in the loft?" ray asks, moving to examine alex's drums.
"junk?" luke says in a hurt tone.
ray taps along the drums, the four spirits eyeing him suspiciously. "some of this stuff is in pretty good shape." ray notes. "hey, maybe we can make a couple of bucks." he says, fiddling with the cymbals.
"what?" alex cries in disbelief, "yo, stop touching my drums! tell him to stop touching my drums!"
julie just shrugs.
"i like that song you had on." ray continues.
"sweet!" y/n says.
"we're sunset curve." luke tells him.
"tell your friends." reggie adds.
"it's just an old cd i found." julie tells her father, trying to ignore the ghosts around her.
"well, still, it's nice that you're listening to music again. out hear you can play whatever you want whenever you want." ray says as the ghosts nod along, until he waves his arms out, going right through reggie and luke.
"oh!" reggie smiles, "that's nice."
"stay out of this!" she whispers to them.
ray backs off slightly at her tone. "i-i'm sorry, honey. i didn't..."
julie mentally smack herself as she struggles to find an excuse. "oh no, no, no, no. not you. i mean-uh-er- you know? give me a minute." she sighs. she goes and takes her hands hand, pulling him outside. as she passes the ghosts she mutters under her breath, "you know, give me a minute."
"hey. hey. hey. hey." ray says, trying to calm her down. "we're gonna figure out this music program thing."
"thanks dad." julie replies quickly before motioning for him to leave.
she closes the door and turns to the four spirits in her studio.
"he likes our song." luke says with a smile.
"oh yeah." alex says, shrugging playfully, "he doesn't count. he's a dad."
"why can't you guys just be normal ghosts?" julie snaps, stopping their conversation. "hang out in an old mansion! i hear pasadena's nice." she groans and opens the door with a huff.
"i think she's warming up to us." alex says sarcastically.
"yeah, i've always wanted to go to pasadena." reggie says obliviously.
y/n sighs and teleports away, trying to catch julie.
"ahh!" julie jumps as y/n appears in front of her "stop that. i'm serious."
"i'm sorry." y/n says, stepping closer.
"what do you want?" julie asks, crossing her arms.
"i know this is completely insane." she starts and julie raises an eyebrow, "but, do you know how rad this is? people, actual people, can hear us play!"
"yeah, it's just i've had a really, really awful day." julie explains. " i gotta go she says, walking past her.
"i'm sorry you had a bad day." y/n says, trying to keep her here, "but we just found out we had a bad 25 years, and then we found out that the one thing, the one thing, that we lived for in the first place we can still do. that's pretty rad."
"you're right." julie says softly. "it's just..."
"you're bad day." y/n nods. "yeah. i know." she runs a hand through her hair and sighs. "look, i'm sorry we came into your life, but... what i just felt in there actually made me feel alive again." she says, trying to connect with her. "we all felt alive again. so, you can kick us out if you want, but we're not giving up music. we can play again! that's a gift no musician would ever turn down! this has been my dream for so long, and luke... all he want to do is play." she sighs when julie doesnt respond. "you gotta know that. and clearly, your mom is into music." she says, motioning to her studio filled with music.
"was." julie says quietly. "she passed away."
y/n's face drops and her lip trembles slightly. "i am... so sorry." she say, her voice barely above a whisper.
"yeah-we... we didn't know." alex says, reggie and luke at his sides.
luke sees y/n's expression drop, as well as his own, and he clenches his fists.
julie sighs and puts her hands in her pockets. "it's alright." a beat of silence passes before julie can speak again. "you guys haven't seen her anywhere, have you?" she asks hopefully. "from wherever you're from?"
"um..." alex mumbles, looking to reggie who shakes his head. "no. no, i mean, you're kind of the first person we've seen."
"yeah, but she's not dead so that doesn't really answer her question-" reggie jumps in.
"yeah." alex cuts him off, "i think she knows what we mean." he turns back to julie, "i'm sorry for your loss."
julie nods sadly, "thanks." she takes a deep breath and turns back to the band. "sorry i got mad. you guys are kinda good."
"kinda?" luke says, walking over and nudging y/n's shoulder, putting his arm around her.
"you realize that's like 25 years of rust just getting dusted off." she laughs.
"yeah." reggie says. "do you play piano too? because y/n's our keytarist and she also does piano..."
"no." julie answers. "no, i don't play. that was my moms stuff in there." she turns to y/n and smiles, "i'm sure you're great though."
"yeah she is!" alex says, making them laugh.
"feel free to use the piano whenever." julie says and y/n nods.
"thanks, julie."
"wait you said that was your mom's stuff?" luke asks, and julie nods, "no way. she's an amazing songwriter!"
julie looks at her feet, but smiles, "she was. wait." she says, looking back at luke, "how would you know?"
"there's a song on the piano. if it's hers... your mom was really talented." he tells her.
silence falls upon the group and julie shrugs, turning to leave.
y/n looks to luke, and reggie, then alex and they all have a forlorn expression.
julie notices and sighs. "i guess... if you need a place to stay, you can stay in there." she says, pointing to the studio. "there's a bathroom in the back and a couch that turns into a bed if you still use any of that stuff."
"dibs on the shower!" reggie yells, "i just really like showers and sometimes the occasional bath." he elaborates, making y/n laugh.
she pushes luke's arm off of her and hops down the steps. "dork." she mumbles.
"this... this is just too weird." julie notes before walking inside.
the band turns to each other before doing a miniature celebration.
"well, i call dibs on the couch!" y/n says, running into the studio as the boys run after her, smiles and laughter filling the space.
"but before we do all the boring stuff, i have somewhere i want to go." luke says.
the band agrees, and they teleport to the orpheum.
reggie, alex, and y/n look around in shock and when luke sees their expressions she sigh. "hey, i know being dead isn't our first choice, but, i mean, it sure is easy getting around."
"easy for you maybe." reggie snaps. he opens the leather jacket he's wearing and pouts, "i lost my shirt on that one!" then, with a small pop, his white shirt appears on his body. "oh, never mind! there it is!" he says, the smile returning.
"ok, so, why'd you bring us here?" alex asks, gesturing to the hollywood street.
"just another painful reminder of where we never got to play?" y/n sighs, playing with her hands.
"thanks luke." alex says sarcastically.
luke takes y/n had to get her to stop fidgeting. "i mean, guys, the game isn't over yet." he teleports them below the sigh and they walk with all the other living people, "i'm telling you, we've been given a second chance. let's find some music! let's see how many clubs we can hit before sunrise."
suddenly, a man in a black top hat and black overcoat runs into alex.
not through.
"hey!" alex calls.
the man turns around, and tips his hat to alex, before walking off.
"hey alex, you coming?" y/n calls, making the blond turn around as he runs to catch up with them.
*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*
AFTER A LONG NIGHT, the four teleport back to the studio to hear it be filled with a gorgeous voice and piano.
y/n turns around to see julie sitting at the piano. she nudges reggie who turns the others around.
"wake up your dream and make it true," julie sings, "look out, look inside of you. when you feel lost, relight that spark, time to come out of the dark. wake up," the group watches in awe for her voice as she ends the song, "mm-mm, wake up."
julie grabs the final music sheet, seeing a message : 'julie, you can do it 🤍. love mom.'
she smiles as she reads it, not noticing the band standing behind her.
*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*
i like how reggie's aesthetic is the total opposite of his personality
*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*
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