Work Text:
Julie gave an irritated sigh as she dropped her phone onto the coffee table and stretched out on her couch, covering her face with a pillow. “The internet suuuucks,” she groaned.
There was a soft bark and clicking against the hardwood floor as her tiny pup came barrelling into the room. Julie moved her pillow from her face, giggling as she watched her tiny pup struggle to get up on the couch. “Hey Dahlia,” she murmured, holding her hand out to the pup, grinning as she laid out on top of her. “You think the internet is stupid too, right?”
Dahlia wiggled to lay on top of her chest, tiny head tucked under Julie’s chin. “Good girl.” She reached for her phone when it buzzed, smiling a little when she saw a text from Willie.
dad told me he and ray are having a family dinner tonight you in?
Definitely. Who else is coming?
carlos, i think victoria, probably trevor and his kids, alex ofc, and i haven’t asked luke and reg yet
So Bobby’s going to be there? 👀
shut up. can you ask reggie and luke if theyre coming
I can ask, sure. See you tonight!
Julie grinned at the picture Willie sent in response, a shot of the back of Alex’s head with David, his emotional support dog, looking right at the camera with his head on Alex’s shoulder. She shook her head with a smile, pulling up Luke’s contact.
“Julie!” Unsurprisingly, he’d picked up almost immediately.
“Hey Luke. Dad and Caleb are having a family dinner tonight. Are you and Reggie coming?”
“Let me ask!” She could hear him pull the phone away from his face, his voice muffled as he called out to Reggie. “Do you wanna go to Ray’s?” She could hear his enthusiastic yes and grinned. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
“I can’t believe your boyfriend has a crush on my dad.”
“He does not! He just… really likes your dad. …hm.”
“You all have daddy issues.”
“It’s not my fault your dad is so cool! He came to visit us in the hospital more than any of our parents and didn’t even know us.”
“Yeah, well, that’s just how he is.” She gave a surprised laugh when Dahlia started sniffing at the phone. “Dahlia says hi.”
“Chewbacca would say hi if he wasn’t so focused on playing tug with Reg. He could eat Dahlia.”
“No!”
“He wouldn’t. But he could.” Luke’s voice was teasing. “You going to that awards show next month? Sunset Curve wasn’t nominated for anything, but you were, right?”
“Yeah, Best Solo Album. I don’t know if I’m going. I’ve been seeing some shit online that’s getting on my nerves. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to win anyway. I can just say I’ve got family stuff and put out a tweet thanking the awards committee for the consideration, that whole song and dance.”
“Or you could go and get free food out of it.”
“Eh. The food is never that good, it’s not worth it.”
“Maybe.” Luke gave a low hum. “Is Bobby going to the family dinner tonight?”
“Probably. Willie told me Trevor is probably going to be there, so if he’s there, Carrie and Bobby will be there.”
“Your dad is the coolest, you know that? He considers like, the whole band to be part of the family.”
“You are though! Trevor has been basically an uncle to me my whole life, so Bobby is my cousin, and Willie is my stepbrother which makes Alex family, and… well, you and Reggie are just… family. We love you guys!” Her face warmed slightly. “And you know, if you hadn’t gotten food poisoning, I wouldn’t have a career.”
“You’re welcome for that.” He snickered. “Don’t remind Bobby, they’re still salty about that.”
“I try not to. Speaking of him…”
“What? Alex and Willie have a crush on him?”
“Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one who saw it.”
“It’s kind of adorable, right?”
“And a little pathetic.” Julie giggled. “I mean, come on, how hard is it to admit a crush?”
“Tell me again how long you and Nick danced around each other?”
Julie blushed, glad he couldn’t see her face. “Shut up, that was like, a lifetime ago.”
“Six years ago.”
“Exactly, in high school. High school doesn’t count, everyone is dumb as a kid.”
“What? No way.”
“You helped Reggie fix his amp in the rain one time.”
“He needed a hand, what am I supposed to do?”
“Go inside, dumbass!” She laughed loudly. “You can’t tease me about a crush I had on my ex boyfriend when I didn’t even know you yet.”
“I’ll have you know I can do literally anything I want.” She could hear the infuriating(ly cute) smirk he must have been wearing.
“You’re the worst. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”
“Okay. Bye Julie.”
“Bye Julie!” Reggie must have been yelling, making her laugh as she hung up. Cradling Dahlia to her chest, she sat up and looked down at herself.
“I should change out of sweatpants, huh?”
A few hours later, she was parking in front of her dad’s house, which still had the same homey feel it had when she was growing up. She took a detour down the driveway to push open the garage studio doors, smiling at how familiar the space was. She may as well have grown up in the studio. She let her fingers glide along the piano, expression soft. “Hi mami,” she whispered.
Julie closed her eyes, taking a few slow breaths and just taking in the feeling of the space. There was something magical about the studio. Something that just made it home.
She didn’t spend too long in the garage, carefully pulling the doors shut before making her way up to the porch. The front door was unlocked as she let herself in, grinning at the sounds of chaos coming from the kitchen. Following the noise, she found Caleb and Carlos bickering as Carlos mixed something, Ray at the stove. “Hey.”
“Julie!” Carlos looked up with a grin. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She laughed softly. “How’s school?”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. My classes are boring, but the upperclassmen on the team said it’ll get more exciting next year.”
“Probably.” Julie nodded, smiling as Caleb wrapped her in a hug. “Hi Caleb, it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too. William and Alexander are out back with David, but they’ll likely be in soon.”
“Great! How’s work been?”
“Oh, the rehearsals are too long yet the show seasons are too short.” He waved his hand, though there was a soft smile on his face. “Though Ray and I are planning a trip soon, both of us could use a break.”
“Really? You guys deserve it! Where are you going?”
Ray smiled as he took his oven mitts off, setting them on the counter. “We’re thinking New England. Maybe I’ll get to see some actual snow for once.”
“It’s overrated. Though if you’re so insistent, I suppose we'll make it happen.” Caleb leaned back against the counter, grinning when Ray leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Sunset Curve has a tour soon, perhaps we’ll just happen to be in the area when they have a show out there.”
“Is that right?” Ray nudged Caleb with a chuckle. “Do you have an in with the band or something?”
“I know someone rather close to them.”
Carlos made a fake gagging sound as he stood up, pouring brownie batter into a prepared pan. “What happened to no flirting in the kitchen?”
“It’s my house, so I get to decide which rules only apply to Alex and Willie.” Ray laughed at Carlos’s overexaggerated eye roll. “Wash the cocoa powder off the table please. Your tia will have a fit if she sees that before we eat.”
Julie took a seat, brushing some stray dog hair off her leggings. Of course, it was immediately replaced when David came bounding up to her, the black lab politely resting his head on her lap. “Hi there buddy. Did you abandon your dad?”
“Nah, he just gets so excited to see you.” Alex grinned, bending to hug her, stopping her when she moved to stand. “Hey, no, he’s using you like a pillow, you’re not allowed to stand!” He scratched David’s head, the dog’s tongue lolling out.
“Aw man, now you’re gonna drool on these pants!” She laughed, gently holding one of his soft, velvety ears between her thumb and pointer finger. “Soft boy, look at you all dressed up!” He had his bright pink service dog vest. “I always feel like I’m doing something wrong when I pet him while he’s got his little vest on.”
Alex grinned. “Me too! And he’s my dog.”
“Oh buddy.” Julie smiled. “That’s the reason you’ve got him, huh?”
“Hey sis!” Willie grinned as they appeared behind Alex, seemingly out of nowhere. They grinned as David’s tail wagged harder. “I see he found his absolute best friend in the world.”
“It’s me, I’m his favorite.” She giggled as David licked at her hand, shoving his head under it. “I’m petting you, bud! I don’t know what you want from me.” She loved on the dog, pressing a kiss to the top of his fuzzy head. “He’s such a perfect boy.”
“Truly the only perfect boy.” Willie nodded sagely, dodging a swat from Alex and grinning at him. “...One of two perfect boys?” They tried, pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheek.
“Ugh, stop flirting for five seconds.”
“You can’t make us.” Willie wrapped their arms around Alex, leaning their full weight on him.
“Disgusting. I’ve decided to become homophobic.”
“During pride month?”
“It’s October.”
“...During pride month five?”
Julie was about to retort, but the door swung open, Victoria walking in with a dish wrapped in foil in one hand and the other linked with the hand of another woman. “I brought pasteles!”
“Victoria,” Caleb greeted, taking the dish from her. “And who is this?”
The woman gave a soft laugh. “I’m Cecelia Zhang. You must be Caleb, right?”
“I am. An honor to meet you Cecelia.” Caleb smiled as he took the dish to the kitchen. “Darling, Victoria is here. She brought a guest.”
Ray wiped his hands with a dish towel, laughing as Victoria pulled him into a hug almost immediately. “I’m glad you could make it, Victoria.”
“I’ve never missed a family dinner, and I’m not about to start now! Especially when it means I get to see my sobrinos!” She patted Ray’s cheek after pulling away from the hug. “Cecelia, this is Ray.”
“Ray, nice to meet you.” Cecelia smiled and shook his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you and your children.”
“All good things?”
“For the most part.” She grinned. “It really is wonderful to meet you. Victoria was so excited to invite me.” Cecelia nudged Victoria with her shoulder, smiling lovingly. “I think she was ready to introduce me after our first date!”
“Oh, how long have you two been together? I don’t think Victoria has ever brought a partner around.”
“Is that right? Well, you certainly know how to make a girl feel special!” She laughed as Victoria looked away, blushing. That caught Julie’s attention, who had never known her tia to be shy. “We’ve been dating for a few months, but between you and me,” she dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “I’ve got a good feeling about things between us.”
“I suppose that means I should get used to setting one more place at the table for you.” Ray laughed as Victoria pulled her away to keep introducing her around.
Julie introduced herself and let herself be hugged and fussed over by Victoria (who thought she ought to be eating more, of course), but two voices yelling her name pulled her attention again. She let out an oof as she was sandwiched between Reggie and Luke, giggling as she squirmed out of her hold.
“Julie, hi!” Reggie gave her a big, cute grin. “It’s been so long.”
“I was in the studio with you guys last week!”
“That was for work, it doesn’t count.”
“We got dinner after and sat in the diner for like five hours before Luke fell asleep on his third plate of pancakes.” She giggled as Luke blushed. “You totally did, don’t even try to deny it.”
“...it wasn’t on the pancakes. And it had been a long day!” Luke crossed his arms, absolutely pouting.
Reggie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaning fully against him. “You had syrup in your hair.”
“Reg!”
“Luke.” He poked his tongue out, grinning at Julie. “Listen, Julie, Luke told me about the whole award show thing, and I think you should go!”
There was a pause as Julie sat there, waiting a moment. “...that’s it? That’s your whole argument?”
“Yes.” He rocked on his heels. “And I’m gonna tell your stepdad and he’ll also think you should go.”
“Don’t bring Caleb into this!”
Caleb stuck his head into the living room. “Into what?”
“Nothing!” Julie blurted, reaching up to clap a hand over Reggie’s mouth. “Reggie, look, David is here!”
Reggie was immediately distracted, Alex handing over a rope toy for them to play tug, David’s tail wagging wildly. Julie gave a sheepish smile under Caleb’s stare, but was saved by a knock on the door. He cast one more suspicious glance at her before answering the door, laughing as he was immediately pulled into a hug by Trevor as Bobby and Carrie slipped past.
Luke grinned as Bobby gave him a quick hug. “Hey man, good to see you!”
“You too.” Bobby grinned. “Hey Julie. How’s it going?”
“Good, good, can’t complain.” She perched herself on the arm of the couch, smiling as Trevor ruffled her hair before heading into the kitchen. “It’s always nice to be home like this. It’s comforting.”
“Good to see you too.” Carrie flopped onto the couch, texting furiously. She kicked her legs up over Julie’s lap, hardly glancing at her.
“Hi Carrie.” Julie patted her ankle. “Busy?”
“As ever. Some new group wants to hire me to choreo a music video for them, and it’s on such short notice!” Carrie hit something on her screen extra aggressively before lifting her hips to shove her phone in her pocket. “Where’s your better half?”
Luke scoffed. “Okay, wow. He’s playing with the dog. Where are the girls usually hanging off you?”
“You’re just mad I get bitches.”
“Language!”
“Sorry tia!” Carrie’s cheeks flushed. “...Flynn is visiting family and Kayla sprained her ankle.”
Luke laughed, sitting down as Caleb’s cat Briar peeked out from under the couch. “Hey, pspspsps…” Luke held a hand out, grinning as the cat meowed at him, bumping her head against his hand and hopping into his lap. “Good cat.”
“Can’t believe she isn’t clawing your eyes out,” Julie grumbled, leaning forward with her arms across Carrie’s legs. “She’s so mean to me!”
“She’s precious, I don’t know what you do to her.” Luke made kissy sounds, Briar batting playfully at his hands. “Such a good kitty! So sweet and nice.”
Big green eyes stared at Julie, and she narrowed hers at the cat who looked utterly smug. Which was stupid, and Carrie was staring at her with a big grin. Julie looked around to make sure she was clear before throwing up her middle finger. Carrie kicked her in the thigh. “That’s it.”
“What-“
Julie flopped sideways, throwing her weight on top of Carrie. “You’re grounded.”
“Hey! Hey, you can’t ground me, I’m 24!” Carrie squirmed, slapping at Julie’s arm. She refused to move.
“That’s too bad, you’re grounded!” She giggled, staying put as Carrie tried to get away, Luke watching with an amused grin. “I’m gonna tell your dad!” She said in a sing songy voice, letting out a shriek when Carrie licked her shoulder. “Ew, what’s wrong with you?”
“You won’t-” she grunted, shoving her hands against Julie’s shoulder. “Get off!”
Julie let out an oof, falling onto the floor. “...hi Luke.”
“Hi Julie.”
“Hi David.” She winced as the dog dropped a toy on her face. “Gross!” She tossed the toy, sending David running after it. She sighed, wiping dog spit off her face.
“Hey, why are you on the floor?” Willie looked down at her, their hair falling around their face.
“Carrie licked me.” Her voice was half a whine as she pointed at Carrie on the couch, who just stuck her tongue out.
“You tried to ground me! It was justified.”
“I don’t think Jules has that authority.” Willie grinned as Carrie crossed her arms.
“That’s not the point, you know. She can’t walk around thinking she’s got power over me.”
“You licked me!” Julie mock pouted, sitting up to let David step all over her and wag his tail. “Yes, you’re a very good boy, I love you too!” She squished his face with her hands, his head straining to lick her face. “I miss Delilah.” She pouted as Reggie picked up the rope toy from the floor.
“Isn’t she just at your apartment?”
“Yeah.” She giggled as David leaned against her heavily.
“Niños! Dinner!” Ray called from the kitchen, Trevor helping carry food to the big dining table.
“Good boy.” Julie kissed David between the eyes before getting up, wiping her face with her sleeve, Reggie resting a hand on her arm to help steady her. She looked down at his hand, clearing her throat as she felt goosebumps trace her skin from the touch.
David ran into the dining room, sweetly laying at Alex’s feet. “Good boy.” Alex grinned, looking up as Willie sat next to him, their shoulders bumping together softly. Then his cheeks flared red as Bobby sat down on his other side.
Julie slipped into the kitchen to scrub her hands before sitting between Carlos and Luke, smiling when she saw Luke hooking his foot with Reggie’s under the table, Briar meowing as she jumped up into an empty chair next to Reggie.
“You know you can’t sit here, silly cat,” Caleb chided, gently shooing her away before taking a seat.
Ray leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek, smiling as he looked around the table. “I am so glad to see how many of you came tonight. Victoria, I believe you wanted to say a few words.”
Victoria was sat at one end of the table, hands clasped over her heart. “It warms my heart to see how this family has grown. After the loss of my sister, may her soul rest, this house always felt cold. But warmth has returned, this house once again a home. Thank you all for coming. May the lord bless our meal.”
There were a few murmurs of ‘amen’ around the table, and then it was quiet for several minutes as everyone dug in. Conversation peppered the beginning of the meal, Caleb asking Cecelia about herself, who told him about how she met Victoria at the pilates class she taught, her love of romance novels, and the parakeet she’d taken in a few years back. Trevor asked Carlos about college, setting him on a rambling story about a boy on his baseball team who swore his dorm was haunted and their ongoing investigation. Carrie told Ray about her choreography, the website she was building for clients, and the country album Reggie was working on and the tracks she was being featured on.
Julie was content to keep her head down and eat, surrounded by her family and their stories. Of course, Reggie had to ruin it for her. “So, Caleb, have you heard about Julie’s music award nomination?”
He looked up, expression full of surprise and pride. “I haven’t! Congratulations, Julie, when were you going to mention this?”
She shrunk down in her chair, taking a sip of her wine. “It’s not a big deal… I don’t think I’m even going to the show.”
“Why not, mija?” Ray looked over. “An awards show is a big deal!”
“It’s just something I’d rather avoid. I mean, I doubt I’ll win, and there’s some stuff swirling around online. Making a public appearance would just exacerbate it all.”
“What’s going around online?” Alex looked worried, one of his hands slipping under the table, likely to pet David’s head.
“It’s not like, a huge thing, but there were some people in my Twitter mentions talking about how they wished I’d have a scandal so they could justify hating me. I don’t care about people not liking me, but they’ll be watching my every move, what if I do something wrong? People will pounce, and it’ll blow up and just like that,” she snapped her fingers for emphasis. “My career as a musician is over.”
“I think you’re exaggerating a little bit there.”
“I’m not. I love my work, music is my everything. I can’t lose it by tripping up over nothing.”
Caleb hummed, swirling his wine glass. “May I offer some advice?” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “You’re in the limelight now. There are people who will dislike you for no good reason, and they will wait for you to slip up for your whole career. And you will have scandals. I was a wreck after my first scandal while I was still acting on Broadway.”
“What was the scandal?”
“It was 2004 and I’m gay, dear. It didn’t take more than that.” He chuckled softly. “If you want some advice? Get your first scandal out of the way.”
She frowned at that. “What do you mean?”
“Orchestrate something. Nothing harmful of course. Perhaps a minor wardrobe malfunction, an odd date, something innocuous that will have social media talking.”
Ray frowned, looking at his husband. “Is that really such a good idea? It seems like it could come back to bite her.”
“It will be something minor. Of course, nothing you need to do. You can simply attend the award show and have a pleasant time. But having some control the first time might make any future media disasters feel less stressful.”
Julie tapped her fork against her plate, thinking. “It’s not a bad idea… but I mean… I don’t know what kind of scandal wouldn’t ruin my life.”
Victoria gave a low hum. “Well, something safe. You do not want to risk your reputation.”
“Existing risks my reputation, tia.”
Carrie looked up from her phone, giving a thoughtful hum. “You’re allowed to bring a date to the show. Why not take someone who would stir up media attention.”
“That’s a good idea.” Julie leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes drift around the table. “But who…?” Her voice trailed off as her gaze rested on Luke, who was stealing bites of food off Reggie’s plate. “I have a plan!”
Alex followed her gaze. “Julie, you’re not thinking…?”
“Luke, Reggie, how would you like to get some free food and make Sunset Curve trend on Twitter?”
“I’m in!” Reggie beamed at her, smile bright enough to make her chest ache.
Luke swatted him in the chest with the back of his hand. “What have we said about agreeing to things without knowing the details?”
Reggie’s quiet “not to” made her want to ask questions, but a giggle tore from her throat first.
“You two are going to be my dates to the awards show!”
“Dates. Plural?” Caleb raised an eyebrow, covering his growing grin with a napkin.
“Exactly! Showing up with a man on each arm will have people talking.” She scoffed. “And I get called a slut online for having the audacity to share a mic with either of them when we perform together. Why not take that up a notch? Besides, their next album comes out in like 2 months. Might as well get them some extra attention.”
Luke’s cheeks began to redden, and he cleared his throat, knocking back his glass of wine, cringing at the taste. “We, uh, we can go with you. You don’t have to worry about getting us any publicity or anything though!”
Bobby snorted. “Oh, this is new. Since when do you shy away from free publicity?”
Luke just blushed darker, Caleb clapping his hands together. “Wonderful plan, Julie. Now, I would be honored if you would allow me to design their suits for the event.”
“Design their suits? The show is like, three weeks away!”
“More than enough time for a professional like myself.”
She giggled a little. “Well… it’s up to the boys.”
Reggie flashed a thumbs up. “Okay! They won’t be plain black and white, right?”
“My dear boy, you have met me before, right?”
Luke chuckled. “Do I have to have sleeves?”
“We’ll negotiate when I take your measurements.”
Ray still looked a bit unsure, but smiled warmly at Luke and Reggie. “I don’t need to give a shovel talk, do I mijos?”
“Of course not, Mr. Molina, Ray, sir!” Reggie looked at him with a nervous, but serious expression, relaxing when Luke took his hand.
“We’ll protect her the same way we always have.”
Julie threw a napkin at him, grinning. “Protect me? Haven’t I always been the one protecting you?”
“You get food poisoning one time!” Luke crossed his arms, pouting.
Alex frowned at the reminder, pushing his plate away and taking a sip of his water. “I’m going to start a swear jar, but instead of swearing, it’ll be you guys reminding me of that night.”
Bobby laughed. “We’ll be able to start a record label in two months at that rate,” he joked.
“Robin we almost died.”
“Uh, correction Alexander, you almost died. I’m invincible.” Bobby blew him a kiss.
“You weren’t even with us!” Luke began to laugh as Willie shook his head, trying to hide his grin as Alex gave a long groan.
Julie got up with a laugh, beginning to gather plates with Carlos as the meal came to an end. Ray and Victoria stood to help, Cecelia attempting to stand up and give a hand, but Victoria put a hand on her arm. “We have it under control. Why don’t you go to the living room with Caleb and the kids?”
She nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you darling.”
Alex laid on the living room floor, laughing as David laid across his stomach, tail wagging. Willie sat next to him, scratching just above his tail. “Good boy, being a warm weighted blanket for your daddy.”
Luke grinned as Bobby flushed bright red at that. “Interesting reaction, Bobby.”
“Shut up.” She flopped onto the couch next to Carrie, scooping Briar up off the floor. “Hey there, you’re nice to me, so much nicer than everyone in this room.” Briar meowed, pushing at their face with her paws.
“Even the cat? Bad luck kiddo.” Trevor patted Bobby’s head.
“Geez, thanks dad.”
Cecelia looked between them. “Remind me how all of you are related?”
“We’re not!” Reggie chirped. “Julie and Carlos are Ray’s kids, and tia is Ray’s wife’s sister, she died though, and then Ray married Caleb, and Willie is his kid. Trevor is Ray’s best friend and Carrie and Bobby’s dad. Alex and Luke and Bobby and I are in a band together and we work with Julie sometimes, and she saved me and Luke and Alex from dying that one time. Oh, and Alex and Willie are dating!”
“Don’t worry, it’s not complicated at all,” Alex deadpanned, rolling his eyes with a grin, laughing as Bobby shoved him.
Carrie sighed. “I’m stuck with you dweebs until I die.”
“You are!” Reggie grinned as he leaned against Luke, sticking his tongue out at her. “And you love it!”
“Hm. Maybe you. The other four can fight for my affections.”
Willie pouted. “So mean to us. You never collaborate on my country albums.”
“Wonder why that is,” she deadpanned. “Call me when you write one.”
“Oh, well now I will.” They beamed, giggling as Alex pushed their hair away from their face.
Julie stood in the doorway, smiling softly. She’d been shooed away from the kitchen after setting plates in the sink. She watched as they laughed and joked with each other, able to see the overwhelming love Reggie and Willie had, the more reserved smiles and eye rolls from Alex and Carrie, and the casual way Bobby and Luke just rolled with it all. She loved them, her weird, weird chaotic family.
------
Of course, stressing as she prepared for the awards show left her forgetting about the chest swelling love she had for them. Flynn was doing her hair at the same time as Willie was doing her makeup, and she was squirming slightly as she tried not to sneeze. “Ugh, why are Luke and Reg not getting this treatment?”
“Unfair beauty standards!” Flynn chirped.
“Also they are. Just with dad instead of me and Flynnie!” Willie grinned, carefully fixing the wing of her eyeliner. “Almost done with her hair?”
“Mhm! Just a few more bobby pins to hold it all together.” They smirked, eyeing Willie over Julie’s head. “And not pinning Bobby the way you want to.”
“Hey!” Willie gasped when they saw Julie giggling. “Wait, hey, you’re supposed to be on my side!”
“And why is that? She’s my girl.” Flynn wrapped their arms around Julie’s shoulder, careful not to bump against her hair or ruffle her dress. “She’s on my side.”
Julie made a kiss sound at them, grinning. “I’m Flynn’s ride or die. And as much as I love you, my darling sibling, you need to stop making eyes at Bobby. Alex too.”
They sputtered as Flynn returned to hair duty. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I have a boyfriend!”
“And I’m taking two men to a red carpet,” Julie pointed out. “Plus Alex has the same heart eyes for her as you do.” Her leg bounced, and she winced as her hair was tugged into place. “Ow!”
“Sorry, sorry! I’m not a pro yet!”
“Yet? Are you trying to be a pro?”
“Girl, I’m trying to be a pro in everything, you know that.” They grinned as they stepped back. “And you’re done!” They spun the chair so Julie could face the mirror. “There she is.”
“Flynn…” Julie’s eyes began misting as she looked in the mirror. “...I look like my mom,” she whispered.
“Hey! No crying!” Willie swatted gently at her shoulder. “I worked too hard on that makeup for you to cry all over it.”
“Now I’m gonna cry even harder.” She laughed softly, admiring her reflection, hair pulled into an updo with shimmering clips holding it in place. Her makeup was accented with purple and silver, matching her dress. “I can’t thank you guys enough. I feel… beautiful.”
“Because you are!” Flynn wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her close to their side. “Are you ready to go out there?”
“Not at all!” She grinned, laughing as there was a knock at the door.
“Julie, are you ready? The car’s almost here!”
She smoothed down the front of her dress and met her own gaze in the mirror. “Yeah, I’m ready!” She smiled at Flynn and Willie before opening the door to Luke and Reggie. “Wow, you guys look great! Caleb really outdid himself.” She reached to adjust Reggie’s collar, smiling as she smoothed her hands along his shoulders. “Red is so your color.”
She watched as his face warmed, watched him stumble over his words as he grabbed Luke’s hand. “Julie… wow.”
Luke chuckled. “You look incredible, Jules.”
“You too.” She laughed as he blushed bright red when she adjusted his collar the same way she had Reggie’s. “You said the car is almost here?”
“Did I? I did, oh, right, the car.” Luke cleared his throat. “The car that’s coming for us. Right.”
“Ray is going to want pictures, you guys.” Willie nudged Julie out of the room, practically into Luke’s arms. She braced herself against his chest, hoping the makeup would hide how flustered it made her. It wasn’t like she wasn’t used to being close to Luke, but with them both in formal wear, with Reggie’s eyes boring into them, with how badly she wanted to kiss the both of them-
She shook her head a little, pushing her hands against Luke’s chest to stand up fully, giggling. “Right, yeah, we should get going!” She nudged herself between them, trying not to blush. She could feel Flynn smirking at her, and she refused to face them.
She hurried down the stairs, smiling when she saw David laying on the couch with his head on Ray’s lap. “I see you became a pillow while I was gone.”
“Mija.” He stood up, David giving an annoyed huff and getting up, sniffing at the skirt of Julie’s dress. “You look wonderful.”
“Thanks dad.” She smiled as he hugged her, being careful of her dress. “I know I wasn’t sure about this, but… I’m kind of excited now!”
Ray laughed. “I’m glad you are. You’re going to have a wonderful time, especially with Reggie and Luke with you.”
“Hopefully.” She scratched behind David’s ears, grinning as Alex snapped a picture of her. “You should put that on instagram and tag me in it.”
Alex laughed as he tapped away on his phone. “Fine, but the caption will be focusing on the very good boy, not you.”
“As it should.” She smiled when Luke and Reggie came downstairs, Luke tugging at his sleeves. “You look great, Luke, really.”
“Yeah, but I hate the shirt.”
“I believe you hate most shirts, my dear boy.” Caleb smiled, expression soft as he looked at Julie.
“Because shirts are dumb and i hate them.”
“I think you look handsome, Luke.” Julie held a hand out to him, grinning. “Promise you won’t sneak away to take the shirt off?”
“I think he’d look good in just the vest.” Reggie’s cheeks went pink as he looked at Luke.
“Keep the shirts on, boys.” Ray laughed softly as Alex called David away. “Let me get some pictures before you leave.”
Julie pulled the boys close, linking their arms together. She was glowing, beaming for the camera. It felt right, being between them.
Caleb fixed Luke’s bowtie. “You two be good to Julie. And remember, you are creating a scandal. Don’t engage online, no radical statements to the media, but have fun.”
“Thanks Caleb.” Julie giggled as Reggie straightened up.
“We won’t let anything happen to her sir!”
“Damn right you won’t.” Alex grinned. “She’s the only one who keeps me sane around you morons.”
“What about Bobby?” Julie stuck her tongue out. “Willie thinks she’s cuuute.”
“They do?” His voice pitched upwards, and Caleb looked back at him curiously.
There was a honk outside and Julie giggled, pulling the boys. “We have to go, bye!”
“Be safe, I love you. All three of you.”
“Bye Mr. Molina!” Reggie grinned as he let himself be pulled out the door. A short, sleek black limo with tinted windows was waiting for them.
A tall woman with shaved hair got out of the car and opened the back door for them. The interior was leather, and a bottle of champagne was chilling with several glasses. Luke was beaming as he got in first, thanking the woman. She looked at Julie over her sunglasses and smirked a little. “Lucky gentlemen, hm?”
Julie’s face warmed under her makeup as she ducked into the car, scooting next to Reggie. The door closed, and she looked down at the skirt of her dress. “We are very lucky.” Luke grabbed the champagne bottle, and Julie immediately covered her head with her arms, Reggie scooting closer to her.
“Watch it, Luke, don’t point it at anyone.” Reggie held his hands up cautiously.
“It’s fine!” Luke popped the cork out, pouring three glasses.
“This time. Remember when you almost took Alex’s eye out?”
“That was once! He was fine, it was just a little bit of blood.” Luke handed a glass to each of them, sticking his tongue out at Reggie.
“Blood? What happened?” Julie took a small sip of the champagne.
“We got a bottle of champagne as a gift, and Luke decided to open it. The cork hit Alex in the face, just above his eyebrow. He panicked and started crying, then Bobby panicked, and then I started crying, and Luke dropped the bottle and we didn’t even get to drink it.” Reggie smirked as Luke kicked lightly at his leg.
“No, don’t tell her! It was so uncool.”
Julie grinned, trying to hide it with a sip. “Hey now. I already knew you’re totally uncool.”
“Julie!”
“It’s true.”
“Yeah, but you don’t gotta say it.” He pouted until Reggie kissed his cheek, giggling. The two started chatting about something, and Julie sat back, enjoying the company as Los Angeles passed them by out the window. But as the car ride wore on, her thoughts began spiraling.
“Am I doing the right thing here?”
Luke and Reggie fell silent and stared at her a moment. “What do you mean?” Reggie blinked at her, tilting his head. “You were nominated for an award! That’s huge!”
“I’m probably not even going to win! I’m trying to make a scandal, and for what?” She tugged at the fabric of the skirt of her dress anxiously.
“No matter what you do tonight, there will be people making shit up. Reasons to dislike you. Reasons to send out mean tweets in a desperate attempt to feel important.” Luke crossed his arms, looking around Reggie to look her in the eyes. “But they don’t matter. The only thing that does matter is you having a good time. And honestly? I can’t think of anything more fun than hanging out with me and Reg.”
She giggled at that. “...you’re right.”
“I usually am!”
“You know, I am polyamorous, though.” Julie leaned back in the seat, watching the LA streets as they got closer and closer to Hollywood. “Even if this weren’t… fake, or whatever this is, if I was dating… I don’t know if I’d only be dating one person. I’m probably going to be called like, a slut online.”
“No way!” Reggie gasped, swatting lightly at her arm in excitement. “We are too! Polyamorus, that is. We’re technically open, but we haven’t really dated much aside from each other. Well, there was that one date, but the guy was just trying to fuck me, not date us.”
Luke was bright red. “Reggie!”
“What? This is awesome! She’s poly, Luke!”
“Yeah, I heard her say it.” He was suddenly unable to make eye contact with Julie, cheeks as red as Reggie’s suit. “That’s really cool, Julie. I- I mean, that you feel comfortable telling us. Or whatever.”
Julie frowned and nudged her foot against Luke’s, careful not to scuff his shoes. “What is it? Did I make things weird by telling you? That wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
“No, no, that’s not… It’s just that we… I mean, I, but we…” Luke let out a sigh, leaning back against Reggie.
“We like you, Molina.” Reggie rested his chin on Luke’s shoulder.
There was silence as Luke stared up at the ceiling and Julie stared at the ground, breath catching in her throat. Reggie watched her closely, sincerity written in his expression. “You’re a human wrecking ball, boss.” Luke’s voice was near a whisper as his eyes finally met hers. “Our biggest hit took off because of you. You brought back Bobby’s spark. We’re still here, still alive because of you. Falling for you wasn’t part of the plan, but god, I think it was inevitable.”
“Luke…” It was a whisper, his name falling from her lips with no effort. “Reg, do you feel the same way?”
“I do.” His big green eyes were piercing her soul, kind and sincere. “You’re incredible.”
“Wow.” She bit the inside of her cheek, butterflies filing her stomach. “You have no idea how much that… how much you guys mean to me.” She leaned forward and pressed a feather light kiss to Luke’s cheek and one to Reggie’s forehead.
But before she could say anything more, the car was slowing to a stop, the music awards venue coming into view. Her nerves were back in full force, but Reggie laid his hand on top of hers. “Hey. You’ve got two blazing hot dates and a stunning dress. Ready to knock their socks off?”
Julie looked at Luke, who flashed her a bright smile. “I’m wearing sleeves for you, Jules. This better be worth it.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her, the driver parking in front of the red carpet. “Let’s do this. I’m ready.”
It was a blur, flashing lights and chatter from every direction, but she stepped out of the car, steady on her heels as she took it all in. Reggie got out and offered his arm, and she linked her left arm with his right, and her right with Luke’s left.
She knew there had been interview questions and photos, but she couldn’t remember a single question or what her answer had been. But considering they had made it inside for the ceremony and she hadn’t been mobbed and thrown out? She called that a win.
She let out a long sigh as she sat, flanked by her boys. “There’s so many people here. So many famous people.”
Reggie sweetly leaned a cheek against her shoulder. “You’re a famous people now.” He paused. “Uh… a famous person.”
Luke laughed, an arm resting across the back of her chair. “I think you mean we. Alex texted me that the band Instagram got like a thousand new followers since Julie got interviewed on TV.”
“You’re welcome.” Julie leaned to kiss his cheek, grinning as he turned red. She thought about kissing him again, maybe on the lips, but the lights went down and music swelled, and Luke’s attention was pulled from her. She resisted the urge to pout. She wasn’t going to get jealous of music before they even started dating for real.
But a glance at Reggie had her muffling her giggles, his slightly sour expression matching her own feelings. She slid her hand into Reggie’s, settling in for the awards with a soft smile.
Julie didn’t win the award. She’d felt Reggie’s hand tighten in hers when the presenter announced nominees, Luke’s leg pressed against hers, and her own breathing stopped. Hearing her name among artists she looked up to was… insane.
And even though she didn’t win the award, she was still proud of herself, proud of her album and all the hard work she’d put in. She applauded loudly for the person who had won, though, the sting of mild disappointment easily shaken off.
Especially when Luke had leaned over and whispered “I liked Gardens for Rose a lot better.”
The awards ceremony was a lot longer than she expected. After her category, she didn’t have anything to really look forward to, her eyelids growing heavy. Her head slumped against Reggie’s shoulder, eyes falling shut for just a moment.
Maybe a few moments.
And then… it was over. She avoided rubbing her eyes as she yawned, Luke standing up and stretching. “...You’re sure I have to keep the sleeves on?”
“I’m sure Caleb would destroy you if you do anything to that shirt.”
“Fair enough.” He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, rolling his shoulders. “So… we’re hitting an afterparty, right?”
“I think we have to.” Reggie wrapped his arms around Julie’s shoulders, grinning.
“Yeah, of course. Flynn says we need to get some good pictures for social media. Maybe before we leave we can grab one here.”
Luke dug his phone from his pocket, opening his camera. “Yeah, get in close!” He held the phone up to take a selfie with their backs to the still lit stage. Julie pressed against his side, cheek pressing against his shoulder, Reggie wrapping an arm around her waist and squeezing in. “Perfect.” He looked down at the photo with a grin. “Oh, I like you two.”
Reggie giggled and leaned over Julie to kiss Luke. Julie covered her burning cheeks with her hands, trying not to watch them too closely. They were both gorgeous.
She bit her lip lightly as she watched Reggie grin, bumping his forehead against Luke’s softy. “Let’s get to that party!” Reggie grinned as he pulled back and bounced. “I’m hungry.”
“And the sky is blue.” Julie smirked as she slipped around them to head towards the exit. Reggie made an offended noise as Luke laughed loudly, running after them.
-----
Julie had been kissed before. She’d been held, she’d been intimate. But never like this.
Not pinned to a wall in the back of a dimly lit party, the skirt of her dress in the way, not with her near frantic energy being met, not with someone watching with a reverent expression, not a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
Her face was burning as she let out a whimper, trying to pull Luke closer as they gasped for breath in minuscule moments of separation. “Luke,” she whispered, feeling a few stray curls falling to frame her face despite all the bobby pins holding them in place.
“Jules…” He pressed another searing kiss to her lips, drawing another low whine from her throat. “Just as amazing as I’d always imagined.” He gave her that stupid charming grin, glancing over at Reggie with kiss swollen lips.
Reggie practically surged forward to press a kiss to Luke’s mouth, a hand going to his cheek. “That was hot,” he breathed, making Julie giggle.
“You think so?” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him in to kiss him herself, Luke still pressed close. The warmth of them was almost overwhelming, she was burning in it, drowning in it. She never wanted this moment to end, even as her head became dizzy and she had to break away to gasp in a few breaths, heart racing. “Better than I’d imagined.”
“What, didn’t imagine it being so perfect?” Luke grinned, eyes sparking.
She gave a loud laugh, blushing even darker. “Didn’t imagine you two would make me this flustered.” Julie softly pushed Luke away to give herself a little more breathing room as she licked her lips. “It’s too bad we didn’t do this sooner.”
Reggie reached to cup her cheek, his thumb cleaning up her smudged lipstick. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I wish I wasn’t just now finding out how good you two are at kissing. Would’ve been all over you if I had.” She grinned as Reggie’s face heated up. “If I knew how cute you looked flustered.”
“Julie,” he whined, hiding his face against her shoulder.
Luke was just as flustered, but passed it off with a wide grin. “So. What now?”
“Well…” Julie pet Reggie’s hair, which was stiff with hairspray. “For now we get some food, because I’m starving. And then we celebrate because this was my first music award nomination. After that, I say we go back to you guys’ place and crash, since Flynn is watching Dahlia, and in the morning we talk it all out, figure out what we want.”
Luke and Reggie shared a look with twin grins. “I think I speak for both of us when I say we want you, boss.” Luke’s voice was soft, just barely audible over the noise of the party.
“Well I want some chicken fingers!” Julie’s voice was a little louder than she meant it to be, her heart pounding in her chest. She’d known she wanted this, but for it to be real? She was surprised she was still standing.
She pressed a quick kiss to each of their lips, trying to keep herself from giggling. “So cute,” Luke muttered, tangling his fingers with Reggie’s. “She’s so cute Reg…”
“She is. We’re lucky, aren’t we?”
“So lucky.” He fidgeted with the pin on his jacket as they followed Julie through the crowded party. She found the food table and frowned when she saw it was all healthy finger foods. “Well that looks gross!” Luke leaned over her shoulder, making a face. “What’s the point of being famous if the free food sucks?”
Reggie prodded at something green and gelatinous before picking it up and putting it in his mouth. His eyes widened, and he grabbed for a napkin, spitting it out as discreetly as possible. So not at all discreet.
“That bad?” Julie giggled as Reggie ducked his head when a few glances were shot their way. “Maybe we should have our own afterparty. With pizza.” She looked down at her dress. “And sweatpants.”
“Boss, you’re a genius.” Luke patted Reggie’s back as he wiped his tongue with a napkin. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Mind if I steal your clothes?”
“I might pass out, but definitely you can.”
Julie giggled and reached to take their hands to pull them out of the party. She wanted to bask in them, have them to herself for the night. Because they were hers now, and by tomorrow, they’d be plastered all over the internet.
Tonight though?
Tonight was for them.