Based on this request: "Luke x reader based on the song Still Into You by Paramore?"
Luke is leaning up against the wall, legs stretched out idly in front of him. His girlfriend is curled up on the bed next to him, lips pursed in thought as she considers the lines of music in front of her. They have the same habit of writing songs in worn and torn notebooks, of writing over and tearing out pages until the books themselves are reduced to nothing then reanimated with the sheer frenzy of their music. Luke likes that they have this shared trait, like it's a sign that they were meant to be together ever since the start.
Y/N feels Luke's eyes resting on her and looks up, blushing slightly. "I'm not very interesting company, am I? Sorry about that." Luke just grins. "Don't worry about it. You writing songs makes me think about songs, and that's one of my favorite things to do." Y/N smiles at that, leaning up to kiss him gently on the cheek before settling down again in front of her notebook. She squints at a line, then rubs it away with her eraser.
Luke glances down at the lines of music, but his head's at an angle and he can't read a single note. "What's the song about?" Y/N flashes him a teasing grin. "It's a surprise. You'll find out soon enough." She considers the main melody, adding a few notes as she goes. "I'm not quite sure if it's happy or sad, not yet. It's fast, and it's fun to sing, but that's all I've got right now." Luke nods, leaning his head back against the wall and letting the faint sounds of scratching pencils and Y/N's occasional humming take him back to the time he first met her.
Y/N was Julie's friend, and had been her best friend long before Luke showed up. Luke smiles in spite of himself, remembering the first time he had caught a glimpse of the girl. Julie had been talking with Y/N in her room, and Luke had made a point of walking by so that Julie would be forced to introduce him. From the second Y/N had locked eyes with him, Luke knew he was head over heels for her. Even the way she said her name sounded like a melody, a pure and beautiful sound that Luke couldn't write even if he tried for the rest of his life (or death).
Every moment spent with her was better than the last, every inside joke and casual conversation inspired him. It hadn't taken Luke long to realize he loved her, and an even shorter time to ask her out. Luke laughs inwardly, remembering how nervous he'd been to first ask Y/N on a date. If ghosts had heartbeats, Luke's would have been pounding so loud the entire town could have heard it. Luckily, she had said yes, and the rest was history.
There had been hard times, sure, but the good easily made up for the bad. When the business with Caleb and his club had finally come to an end, with Luke, Alex, and Reggie being able to finally touch people, Luke had practically sprinted over to Y/N's house. She had looked up at him through tear-glazed eyes, having thought him dead, but her gaze quickly changed to happy shock when he had gathered her up in his arms, picking her up and turning in a lazy circle.
Then there were late nights with the two of them cuddled up close together, and early mornings with kisses pressed to cheeks, and date afternoons with hands entwined for all the world could see. If, you know, they could see Luke at all. It didn't matter, though. Not with her. Not for anything as long as Luke had Y/N.
Luke is snapped back to reality when Y/N gently shuts her notebook cover, yawning. "It's getting late. I think I'm going to go to bed." Luke glances out the window, surprised to see that night had fallen and the stars were already shining through the dim patches of cloud. Luke stands up, stretching, then leans back down to kiss Y/N one last time. He says his goodnights and turns to go, pausing only once to look back at the girl he loves before disappearing back to Julie's studio.
Luke is frustrated. He's not sure why, but his blood is practically boiling. Maybe it's because it's been a long, stressful week, where he's convinced himself that things have been good for too long. Caleb wouldn't just give up, not like this. Something's coming. It has to be.
Then there was the problem of Luke's obvious ghosthood. It's amazing to perform with his friends as a guitarist of Julie and the Phantoms. To play music again, in front of a crowd that can see him and cheer along as if he were just another lifer? It means everything to him. But for every stellar performance, there's always that one moment when it ends. When the last chord is played and the drumbeats fade away to silence, when Luke finally disappears to the crowd. It just feels like a constant thorn in his side, a reminder that no matter how hard Luke works he will always just be a ghost, unnoticed by anyone except the rare exceptions.
Luke can't stand to go inside the studio, at least not yet. He doesn't want to be stuck inside again, in those same four walls with the same few people. So he heads out down the streets, walking casually down the sidewalk as if he were just another ordinary teenager heading home from school. He's so lost in his surroundings that he almost doesn't hear someone calling his name, and even then, it takes the person's running footsteps that stop just behind him to convince Luke that they're not just calling out to someone else on the street.
When Luke turns around, his frown turns into a smile when he realizes it's Y/N. She looks amazing today, eyes shining with the bright light of the afternoon sun. She beams at him. "Look who's out and about! I didn't expect to see you here." Luke chuckles, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly. "I figured it would be nice to get out of that studio every once in a while." Y/N nods, then her happy gaze turns into one of slight guilt, as if she'd just realized something.
"Actually, about that. You remember how we had that date planned in a few days?" Luke nods. He'd been really looking forward to that. The two of them had decided to visit the boardwalk again, and stroll up and down while taking in the wind and the waves and all of the shops that dotted the faded horizon. Y/N winces. "Something came up unexpectedly, and I think I'm going to need a rain check. This honor society at school just announced that they're meeting at that time, and I can't skip it. I'm really sorry."
This should just be a normal occurrence, something that Luke can brush off with a smile and an understanding nod. Yet for some reason, he feels his previous anger start to bubble up again inside of him. "Really? At that exact time?" Y/N nods, looking to all the world like a girl utterly distraught at the news. "It was supposed to be later, but they changed it. I didn't have a say in it, but I can't miss the meeting."
Luke frowns. "But we agreed on that date. I mean, we've been talking about it for a while now." Y/N glances back at him, evidently surprised at his tone. "I don't have a choice about this, Luke. I can't change the meeting." Luke looks back at her. "And what, we can definitely change this?" Y/N raises her eyebrows. "I thought so, yes. It would be super easy to just move it to be the next day."
Luke shakes his head. "Can't do it then. I'm spending time with Alex and Reggie." Y/N furrows her brow. "You spend time with them literally every day. Can we not have our date then?" Luke stops walking, suddenly exasperated. "Your meeting is important and so is this." Y/N turns to face him. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I'm literally just asking if you can put off talking to your friends for a couple hours. I don't think that's very hard to do."
Luke folds his arms across his chest. "Of course it wouldn't be hard. I'm a ghost, after all. Everyone knows that ghost problems aren't nearly as important as your problems." Y/N looks taken aback. "That's not what I'm saying at all! What's up with you?" Luke stares at her pointedly. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired of feeling unimportant." Y/N holds up her hands in front of her. "I never said you were unimportant. I'm just confused as to why you think me not being able to make it to one date is equal to an entire argument."
Luke feels himself getting irritated, and tries to put on a calm face, but all hopes of salvaging this are out the window. "Well, we wouldn't want you to get too upset about this. How about we just cancel the date? All future ones too, for that matter. It would be too bad if I interfered with your schedule." Y/N looks horrified, but Luke's already poofed away, leaving her standing alone and in shock on the sidewalk.
It's barely been a few hours, and Luke already feels bad about everything. Did he really just say all that to Y/N. And over what, a schedule change? But if Luke knows one thing about himself, it's that his pride is too big of a stumbling block to overcome. He can't bring himself to go back and admit that he was wrong, even though he knows that he very much was. So he waits, and waits. A day passes, and then another, and then another. Y/N avoids him the entire time.
After a week, Luke feels crushed by guilt. He's made a terrible mistake, and he knows it. Why did he have to be so rude just because he felt bad about himself? The other boys have picked up on his bad mood, and try to be extra nice to him. That just makes Luke feel even worse, like he's upset them too.
Luke's lying on the sofa in the studio when Julie appears in the door. She knocks twice on the door, alerting him to her presence, then walks in. She comes to a stop in front of Luke, handing him a flyer for a band performance at her school. Luke takes it, frowning. "What's this about? You think we should do something like this?"
Julie shakes her head. "No, I think we should go. It's for Y/N's band. She's performing, and we should be there to support her." Luke sits up, looking at his friend. "Y/N doesn't want me there. Trust me. I messed up things with her big time, and the last thing she wants is to see me in that crowd." Julie sighs, perching next to Luke on the arm of the sofa. "I would disagree. I think this is the perfect time to get up the courage and see her again."
Luke is more than hesitant at first, but Julie talks him into it through a combination of calm advice and emotional blackmail. What would you do without friends? So, Luke drags himself out of Julie's studio and towards Los Feliz High School, regretting his decision the entire time. What if Y/N's already moved on? What if she really doesn't want to see him there, and his presence will just make things worse?
Luke wants to turn and leave a dozen times over, but Julie and the boys are there with him, forcing him to stay. Luke follows them into the crowded gymnasium, where he can see a stage is prepared and ready for the upcoming performance. Just as Luke is seconds away from talking himself out of the entire thing, the lights dim and a voice comes over the speakers, announcing Y/N's band. So this is it- no backing out now.
Y/N and a few of her friends walk on stage, waving to a cheering audience. Y/N is the lead singer, and grabs a guitar from a stand before taking her place in front of the mic. She flashes an easy grin to the crowd, then starts playing.
Instantly, Luke recognizes the song. It's the one she had been writing all those nights ago, when the two of them had been at her house and everything had been perfect. It's just like she described- fast, certainly. He still can't decide if it's happy or sad, maybe reminiscent or hopeful, even. Then she gets to the chorus, and Luke feels himself lean forward involuntarily as Y/N grabs the mic, singing directly into it as if she were speaking to him herself.
'Cause after all this time
I'm still into you
I should be over all the butterflies, but I'm into you, I'm into you
And baby, even on our worst nights
I'm into you, I'm into you
For the first time all night, Y/N turns to look directly at him. There's a twisting feeling in his heart as Luke realizes exactly what the song is about. Him, and her, and everything that went wrong. It's funny- even as the full extent of the hurt Luke has caused Y/N hits him, he still feels his heart swell with relief. She still loves him, even after all this time and all this heartbreak.
Some things, some things just make sense
And one of those is you and I
Some things, some things just make sense
And even after all this time
I'm into you
Luke's heard Y/N sing before, in quiet rooms and empty streets. He's seen her on stage too, felt goosebumps as she performs with that same captivating electricity every time. But he's never felt anything quite like what he feels right now, this combination of relief and guilt and love, sheer love, that rocks him to his core.
Before he knows it, the song is over. Y/N and her band perform a few more songs, all excellent, and then he realizes that they're starting to step off stage. Instantly, Luke poofs away to the hallway just backstage. He opens a door that leads outside, making sure Y/N sees him go, and stands there in the slight chill of the night.
He doesn't have to wait long. Luke's barely been there a minute when the door swings open again, revealing Y/N walking towards him. The door has barely closed behind her when Luke moves towards her, crashing his lips onto hers. She looks up at him with this startled smile, reflecting his own teasing grin when he pulls away. "Y/N, I've been such an idiot. I messed up. I don't know what I was thinking that afternoon, but I regret it all. Of course it's not a big deal to move the date time, and I don't know why I thought it was."
Y/N considers him for a moment, a light smile playing on her lips, then speaks. "It's okay, Luke. Julie tells me you've been miserable this whole time, so I knew you didn't mean it." Luke frowns. "Julie said what?" Y/N laughs. "She made sure to tell me so I didn't feel bad." Luke's about to say something about how he's sure Julie has no idea what she's talking about and he'll be speaking to her later, but Y/N grabs his hands, pulling him close. "Don't say anything to her. It was what I needed to hear."
Luke stares at her for a second, weighing her words, then breaks into a grin. "If you insist. Oh, and by the way, you killed it out there. You were amazing." Y/N smiles up at him. "You think?" Luke kisses her cheek. "I don't just think, I know. Loved the first song especially." Y/N laughs, the quiet sound somehow making the darkness of the night brighter, like the sunrise came a few hours early. "I'm glad to hear it. I've been working on it for a while and it just felt right."
Luke grins, kissing her again. Of course it felt right- it was the truth, the unspoken truth that both of them had been dancing around this entire time. No matter what, the highs and the lows and the worst of the nights, they still loved each other. That's the way it would always be.