Luke did not sleep at all as Julie laid still in his arms. She was not a crazy sleeper, but he was. He was scared he would accidentally kick her or end up rolling out of the small bed fit for him when he was much younger. Either way, he was not going to be able to fall sleep. He didn't bother.
He reached over on his dresser as slowly as he could, finding his old alarm radio on there. The clock was still working, and he hoped that the rebel radio station was still going. He struggled to get a grip on it to bring it close to him, and he managed to do it without dropping it on the floor or waking Julie. All she did was snuggle closer to his chest and make his heart speed up. How was she always so perfect?
He put the radio on him next to Julie and turned the volume down before scanning the stations. He put the 77.7 number on the PM station, and it was still in service. They were playing unconventional and experimental music that would prevent people who weren't knowledgeable of the rebel plans to skip it over. The unconventional music played as Luke watched Julie breathe in her sleep. She sometimes mumbled an incomprehensible word out loud, and he chuckled under his breath.
Did they both confirm they were going to make a relationship work or was it only because she was on the verge of falling asleep? Luke put the radio on the floor next to his bed for easier access if need. He wanted to hold Julie a little closer, kissing the top of her curly hair. He had so much affection for her and yet, the reminder that he did betray her. That he failed her and lied to her and all of their friends, was there. Anytime he exhaled, there was a spasm of shame in his chest that ripped through like lightning. He had no idea how he was going to live with it for the rest of his life. Live with it if him and Julie continued what they had.
Because at the end of the day, he knew Julie. He had seen enough of her to know she hadn't fully forgiven him yet, and she was going against all odds to keep him closer.
Luke was tired of crying. Tired of existing. Tired, tired, tired. But he could not shut his eyes. Maybe because the last time he did, they took Julie away from him and he couldn't defend her. Maybe all the realization that he could soon have his life back mixed with being unable to do his actions was poisoning him.
"Frogs," Julie muttered under breath. Luke down to see her, and she was still sound asleep. That was the first word he understood. "Just eat the frog, Luke." Luke let out a loud laugh that made Julie shift in her sleep and scratch her face, Luke freezing up as she did. She continued sleeping on him, and he smiled. He played with her hair, watching her smile in her sleep. He wanted to remember her like that forever.
The sun still hadn't risen completely when Julie suddenly sat up. She looked at Luke and blinked a couple of times, leading against the headboard. She started staring out at nothing as one did on school mornings.
"Hello?" Luke asked, snapping his fingers to get her attention. She turned back to look at him, expressionless. She didn't say anything and laid down next to him again, grabbing his arm to wrap it around her. Luke smiled and took the hint, holding her closer as she put her head back on his chest. "You sleep talk," Luke told her.
"I do not," Julie muttered. Her voice was scratchy from being asleep. It was cute. He had heard it at the safe house but hearing it so close made everything so much softer like a blush.
"You were telling me to eat frogs."
"You wouldn't?"
"No."
"I would," she said plainly.
"You wouldn't."
"You can't prove it." Julie's hand started tracing over the faded lettering of the hoodie. He regretted grabbing the first one he saw after he saw himself in the mirror. He was too tired to change it. "I like this hoodie."
"I got it for my dad on Father's Day," Luke said. "He always used it." There was a moment of silence as Julie kept touching the lettering.
"What's going to happen to them?" she asked. "If they realize you took me?"
"Who?" He knew who she was talking about. Sometimes he needed more time to think with hard questions.
"Your parents." Luke figured out what would happen if they noticed Julie was gone. They wouldn't spare them goodbyes.
"No idea," Luke lied. It was so easy to lie to her, and he hated it. He hated how it made him feel. Who the Kingdom of Malachite had shaped him into becoming.
"I said no more lying." Luke swallowed, Julie looking up to meet his eyes. "They're going to get killed, aren't they?" Luke frowned and nodded. Julie rolled over on her stomach to look at Luke, reaching out to hold his face with one of her hands. She was so pretty. Even when he was sad and falling apart, that face could pull him back together. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do more."
"If things work out, they'll be fine," Luke said. He turned his head to give the tips of her fingers a kiss, and she gave him half a smile.
"Luke?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"What are we listening to?" Luke smiled and remembered the radio was still playing. Every moment that went by without a voiceover worried him. They only had so much time.
"A rebel station my mom's friends founded. Even with my mom locked up and me being gone, it's still active. A glimpse of hope in all of this for them. I'm glad they kept going," Luke said to her. "I just wish I could have been a part of it. This side of things. Not," he eyed the piled up uniform in the corner, "that side of things."
"You were so little," she said. It caught him off guard. How softly she spoke. So pitifully. "In those pictures. You were a baby, and they stole you." Luke watched her as his eyes watered. He tried to blink it away, but she reached over to clean his eye with the sleeves of her sweater. "I can't stay angry at you." But she still was. And that's what ached. But he wouldn't tell her that. He had burdened her enough.
"I'm tired of crying," Luke was all he could say to her.
"Me, too." She rested her head on his chest, and she laid still for a while as Luke tried to pull himself together. He talked himself out of crying every time he thought of himself as a fifteen year old boy who had his parents ripped away from him in a violent manner. Not a fifteen year old boy who made a choice. He never had one. Right?
There was a knock on their front door that made them both sit up. Luke pointed at his closet, and she ran to shut herself in there. Luke really wished he had a gun on him, and he marched out to the living room. A second round of knocking scared him and set a pit in his stomach. He tried to think that the kingdom soldiers wouldn't knock to politely or at all. Either way, he had to defend Julie.
He tiptoed to the door and looked out the peep hole, letting out a huge sigh of relief when he saw it was Alex and Reggie. He opened the door, and they both tackled him in a hug that caught him off guard. For some reason, he thought they would hate him. He thought they'd just take the Princess and leave, but they were there, not letting him go.
Luke hugged them back, mad that he was so sentimental. It didn't help that all three of them were crybabies because once Alex let out a choked sob, Reggie and Luke didn't take long to follow. They stayed like that for a while, the only disturbance being Julie walking out with the radio in hand.
They all tried to straighten themselves out when they saw her, Luke walking to shut the door and lock it.
"I heard crying and didn't think it would be King Caleb asking for forgiveness," Julie said, then handed the radio to Luke. "Also, this seems to be his priority right now." Alex and Reggie gave Julie hugs as Luke turned up the station.
THE CASTLE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY RAIDED BY A COLLABORATION BETWEEN REBEL GROUPS AND NOW EX-SOLDIERS WHO ABANDONDED THE BATTLEFIELD. GUARDS STILL FAITHFUL TO THE CROWN ARE FIGHTNING BACK, AND IT IS GETTING BLOODY. IT'S HARD TO TELL WHO HAS THE UPPER HAND. WE HAVE MADE IT DEEP ENOUGH TO START RELEASING ALLEGED ENEMIES OF THE CROWN FROM THE CASTLE BASEMENT.
"My parents," Luke said out loud. "My parents are there."
EX-SOLDIERS BARGED IN WITH THE MISSION OF RESCUING THE KIDNAPPED PRINCESS JULIE OF INMARCSESIBLE BUT SHE HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED. WE ARE TRYING TO GET REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE KINGDOM OF INMARCSESIBLE TO HELP US TAKE DOWN THE CASTLE. REBELS ARE LOOKING FOR KING CALEB HIMSELF. NEGOTIATION MIGHT NOT BE IN THE CARDS DEPENDING ON WHO FINDS HIM FIRST.
Luke didn't realize his hands were shaking as he turned off the radio, looking up at the three of them.
"I have to go," he said. "I'm sure I can catch a boat ride with someone right now, I just need to go find my parents."
"Let us go with you," Alex said. "Things sound bad."
"No," Luke shook his head. "Get Julie back home. Now."
"Luke," Julie stepped up to him. "Let us go with you." He always had difficulty telling her no. He kissed her forehead.
"Go home, Julie," he said. She frowned, but she didn't argue with him. Maybe she was too tired. Luke didn't know if he wanted her to keep trying to persuade him or not. But it was done.
"When are we going to see you again?" Reggie asked.
"I don't know," Luke said. The three of them gave him a group hug, and it took everything for him to not cry when he pulled away. "Look, I don't have a phone anymore, but I know Alex's number. We'll get in touch soon, okay?"
"You better," Reggie said to him. "We know where you live."
Luke smiled and the three of them rushed out of the apartment. Their helicopter was waiting on the patch of sand down from his apartment building. He was impressed they found him so fast with the brief descriptions he had given Alex.
He watched them go inside before running off to find his parents, but he didn't stay to watch them fly away. He didn't know it would be a while before he saw them again because if he did know, he might have had hugged them just once more. He would've given Julie a good goodbye kiss.
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A/N: A few of you might've missed my lil' poll on my profile lmao but essentially, I asked y'all to pick between the chapter 45 happy ending or a chapter 50 happy ending with a little more angst and turmoil before the happy ending. Option B won.
This is where my plot plans diverge because in my original, Julie was supposed to go rescue Luke's parents with him before going home. Then I was going to tie loose ends here and there and bam, happy ending but I do not like my original chapter 45 ending at all. It felt so boring because it was just Luke and Julie reuniting and kissing and that's it. I think I traumatized Julie and Luke too much to jump straight to that happy ending lmfao. They're going to need that time skip to heal a little more. I may not show but this college education is really causing me brain damage when it comes to writing emotional turmoil in fanfics.
Also, a quick shout out to the fic "I Know Who You Are Now" by rramfx on Ao3!! You guys should check it out. Another JATP Juke kingdom AU but with magic, and it's so exciting already :3
Thank you for reading <3 Don't forget to vote it helps me out a ton /.\ Thank u!!