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Willy sat on the roof of the apartment building opposite the Orpheum. He can hear the music from here: the piano, guitars, and drums. Alex’s drums.
He sighs wetly. If everything with tonight goes well, he’s never going to see Alex again.
It had hurt when he’d died at eighteen, but somehow this was worse.
The next morning he couldn’t bring himself to even skate, he was so down. So, he decided he’d look for a quiet place to think, away from the noise of the Lifers around him. He just walked for a while until eventually he found himself in a place he is surprised to be.
The band’s garage.
He blinks, memories of his last time here rising up. He almost doesn’t want to go in. But something bids him on, and he phases through the doors.
And oh . Everything reminds him of Alex.
Dang it. The first and only other time he’d visited what was basically Alex’s home and he had told him it was better if they’d never met. Sure, he’d been able to explain himself later, but…there were a lot of things he regrets.
He looks around at the space, taking in all the places that had been so important to Alex, both in life and in death.
He sees Alex’s drum set.
And the floodgates open.
Everything that he’d been suppressing for the past twelve or so hours came to a head and had tears rolling down his cheeks before he knew it. They blurred his vision, turning Alex’s drums into a blur of tan and bronze.
He sobs.
This was so unfair .
Alex had never deserved to die in the first place, but at least it meant that Willie had gotten to meet him, gotten to know him. But because of his own stupid actions he’d seriously harmed someone he cared about and even inadvertently forced him to pass on early. If that even was what had happened--the other option was way too painful to even consider.
He crouches down in the center of the room, letting his tears fall. He hiccups and sobs openly, glad for once that since he’s a ghost no one will be able to see him break down.
Except--he sees a set of shoes appear out of the corner of his eye. Three pairs actually.
He whips his head around to see the newcomers to his pity party only for his jaw to drop open in complete surprise.
Because it’s the band,
It’s Alex.
They see him at the same time he sees them, and all three of their eyes widen in tandem. Willie freezes.
Luke reaches a hand up without breaking eye contact to furiously tap Reggie on the shoulder.
“Let’s go man, let’s go !”
“Yep--”
And they poof out as quickly as they’d come in, leaving only Alex remaining.
“Alex,” Willie chokes out, scrambling to his feet. “Alex--!”
Alex meets him halfway, returning the vice-like hug Willie gives him.
He’s still crying as he says,
“What--how are you here--why didn’t--how--what?” he stumbles over his words, throat still closed from crying. “I thought for sure you were gone! ”
All he can see is the garage doors behind Alex’s shoulder and all he can feel are his strong arms interlocked at his lower back, but he can hear him just fine when he says,
“Well I’m not! It turns out I didn’t have to pass on.”
Willie breaks away but slides his hands down to grip Alex’s forearms. He’s almost afraid that if he lets go of Alex that he’ll disappear.
“You’re--how is that possible?” he gasps, pulling Alex’s sleeve up to see that somehow, Caleb’s mark is gone, leaving only perfect unmarred skin behind. He looks between it and Alex’s grinning face.
“Something happened with Julie last night, after we played the Orpheum,” he explains. “Apparently it wasn’t our unfinished business, because we didn’t pass on, but there was no way we were going to play for Caleb, so we were just going to uh…wait for the end, here in the studio.”
Willie tightens his grip on Alex, loosening it only when Alex grimaces just the slightest bit.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “...go on.”
Alex gives him that cute smile before continuing.
“But yeah we were just chilling out here in the dark and those pulse-y thingies were getting stronger and stronger, and that was when Julie found us.” He looks past Willie at where the piano sits. “She--Luke told her how we weren’t going to Caleb’s no matter what, and that no music was worth making without her--which I think was just his crush talking but was also kind of true--and then she hugged him.”
Willie blanches.
“Wait, she hugged him? A Lifer was able to touch Luke?”
“She was able to touch all of us actually. We did this cute little group hug thingy and we were all glowing which was super weird and then the stamps floated off!”
He smiles again, then pulls Willie in for another tight hug.
Willie sniffles into his shoulder.
“I-I’m really glad you didn’t go,” he whispers.
“I’m really glad I didn’t go too,” Alex says, his voice infinitely warm.
They stay like that, each of them somehow squeezing tighter and tighter until Willie is overcome by a sudden and very strong urge to kiss Alex. He doesn’t know where the urge comes from; he’s never really been that physically intimate with anyone in life or in death, plus he has no idea if Alex would actually want to. But he has to at least try it or he thinks he’ll explode.
He leans away slightly, arms still around Alex’s shoulder, and Alex lets him while keeping his own arms around Willie’s waist.
Willie hopes that Alex can see in his eyes how much he wants this as he moves his face a little closer, coming nearer to those hazel eyes than he’s ever been before. There’s a stray strand of hair in front of Alex’s nose and he brushes it back. Alex’s lips part slightly. Willie’s heart beats faster.
And Alex closes the gap between them, pressing his mouth to Willie’s, his hands coming from his lower back to cup the spots right behind Willie’s ears. Willie’s heart thrills in his chest and his eyes close tight, his own hands moving on their own to grasp behind Alex’s neck and at his bicep. It was electric .
Eventually, Alex pulls away, his eyes alight and grin wide.
“That was kinda like m-magic,” he whispers breathlessly.
Willie giggles. He’s suddenly in a very giggly mood now that his tears have dried.
“I’m really glad you didn’t go,” he laughs.
“Me too. Me too.”