it's now or never [julie and the phantoms one-shots]

in the rain ~ willex

(a/n: so this tweet and my discord chat have inspired this new chapter and i feel a bit bad for posting willex back to back BUT can you blame me? also sorry for being kinda mia i was having trouble getting inspired to actually write the ideas and requests i've been getting. speaking of, at the moment i'm not taking requests but i'll let you know when i am!)

willex
platonic sunset curve
post orpheum
implied past lalex
implied leggie/ruke
1150 words
~•~

alex was wearing a hole in the floor of the studio while luke and reggie sat on the couch, making jokes at his expense for the second time since they became ghosts.
reggie noticed the jokes getting to alex particularly more this time around and he nudged luke in the ribs. when the guitarist winced the bassist nodded over to alex who now had both hands threaded in his hair.

"lex? alex? buddy are you ok?" reggie asked the drummer as he got up off the couch.

alex shook his head, still in his hands, and partially collapsed on the floor, barely keeping himself upright. immediately luke launched himself over the coffee table and beside reggie, both of them standing by alex.

"alex?" luke started settling on the floor next to the drummer, "is it ok if i touch you?"

alex turned to face luke and nodded, launching into luke's arms and burying his face in the guitarist's shoulder. reggie came to the drummers other side and wrapped around his bandmates as alex sniffled.

alex sighed and tried to explain when he felt a hand tangling through his hair and smoothing it out. "it's ok lex, we got you," reggie breathed and alex nodded again before taking a deep breath.

"i- i wanna talk about it," he stifled out as he pulled slightly from his best friends. his bandmates nodded and stayed close to the drummer just in case. "it's about willie..." alex turned to look at reggie.

reggie was the more oblivious of the three, which he himself was aware of already, but he wasn't particularly stupid. "i know you like him alex. you know i'm cool about who you like."

alex nodded again and looked down and his hands which he playing with his hoodie sleeves. the studio was silent aside from the breathing of the ghosts inside- they could breathe now after their hug with julie- and he could hear the faint pattering of rain outside.

"i haven't seen him in... like three days. i'm really worried caleb hurt him or is keeping him somewhere." the drummer felt his eyes get watery as his control over his voice slipped, "i can't- i can't loose him, not to caleb... not like we almost lost julie."
those words leaving his own mouth broke alex, but they also broke his bandmates. alex let a few tears fall as he leaned his side into luke's shoulder and reggie sidled against him. both other boys felt themselves get teary and luke lost a tear or two.

they say there for a moment and listened to the rain outside get stronger. it took a moment and then luke had an idea.

"what if we look for him with you? right now. if we don't find him we'll be there with you and we can come right back to the studio."

alex looked between his bandmates and reggie nodded in agreement. suddenly the three were on hollywood boulevard standing side by side and walking.

they made the decision to branch off slightly but still be near each other. eventually they met up and were walking together on the road opposite the orpheum.

"i'm gonna uh... check by the orpheum, just in case." alex suggested and the boys nodded, deciding to give him a minute 

alex walked with them to a crosswalk- he may be a ghost but he's a ghost who doesn't believe in jaywalking- and went to the opposite sidewalk and toward the orpheum. alex could see the faint outline of someone starring up at the orpheum sign through the rain. he thought almost nothing of it until multiple people walked through the figure. alex stopped in his tracks for a moment and then slowly walked closer. from about 2 yards away he immediately recognized the hair and skateboard.

"willie? willie!" he yelled, his voice still hoarse from crying, and began running towards the boy.

the other ghost immediately whipped around to face the voice. "alex?" then willie caught sight of the pink hoodie running towards him in the rain and he started sprinting to the drummer.
they met in a bone crushing hug similar to their last one outside the orpheum about a week prior.

the slight rain that had been falling started coming down even harder as alex pulled willie even closer and the slightly shorter ghost hooked his chin over the other' shoulder. after a moment they both pulled back slightly. neither of them could differentiate the rain from possible tears on the others face, but they both new they'd started crying at some point.

"you're ok," willie put his hand on either sides of alex's face, "thank god-" he breathed.

"i'm ok? thank god you're ok! i thought caleb had done something to you. i thought- i thought that our goodbye was going-"

"alex?" willie interrupted. alex just looked up at him confused, water dripping from his short hair. "can i kiss you?"

alex felt all the air leave his lungs as he breathed out a very quiet but still audible over the rain, "yes."

willie smiled at him and leaned closer, pressing up to his tip toes to reach the other ghost's mouth and pulling the drummers head down the rest of the way to meet his own. alex felt himself smile into the kiss and willie smiled as well. one of alex's hands found the back willie's neck and the other found the skater's waist, pulling him closer. the rain fell around them and they both were completely drenched at this point.

willie was the one to pull away, his hands still on alex's face. slowly alex opened his eyes and let his hand fall to match the other on willie's waist as he let out a breath.

"wazow-"

willie's eyebrows crinkled at the ghost in front of him before he busted out laughing, barely containing the giggles as he leaned into alex, his hand falling onto the boys's shoulders.
"did you just kiss me, and then say 'wazow'?"

at that alex couldn't contain his own laughter and nearly fell over as he laughed. willie loved hearing that laugh and seeing alex's smile. really he loved everything about the boy, but he wasn't going to tell alex that just yet.

"ok ok, maybe i said wazow, but it could've been worse."

"what's worse than wazow?"

"i don't know saying like 'ew' or something. at least 'wazow' says something like 'woah that was a great kiss'."

"oh so you think i'm a good kisser?" willie waggled his eyebrows and smirked at the drummer.

"oh shut up!"

"make me," he smirked again.

alex leaned closer to the skater and smirked this time, "can i?" he pulled willie impossibly closer and the ghost's eyes widened.

"yes."

and with that the two were kissing again. the rain poured down on then even harder now as the ghosts giggled into the kiss.