#peterpatter

The sillies ever… I miss you JATP

These two are KILLING ME. WILLIE. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.

Day ONE Willie asked me about having a crush on Alex then said he’d consider it and settled on friendzone… he THEN started asking about Reggie, then Luke, then Luke AGAIN even though REGGIE AND LUKE ARE LITERALLY DATING. WILLIE IM BEGGING YOU ALEX IS RIGHT THERE‼️

And then in "The Edge of Great" he tries to do the same thing with Julie but she ignores him and keeps singing (because she's trying to ignore her feelings for him)

luke and reggie doodles..... haven't thought about them in a while but then i was like i need to draw them

Trigger warning: This is gonna get dark y'all, warnings for child abuse

"Ow!" Luke yelled.

"What's wrong honey? Are you hurt?" Emily asked, rushing over.

"No," Luke said scowling. "But it feels like I just skinned my knee." Then his face fell, eyes filling with tears. "What's wrong with me?"

"Oh," Emily said, smiling as she knelt before him. "Honey...do you know what a soulmate is?"

"It's like your best friend right? One picked out for you by fate, and your lives are tied together. Like you and daddy!"

Emily nodded. "Exactly. But a side effect of having a soulmate is that you can feel their pain. So right now? I bet your soulmate just skinned their knee, and you felt it."

"Oh," Luke said. "That sucks!"

"Luke!"

"Well it does! I don't want to feel their pain and I definitely don't want them to feel mine, that's just mean!"

"I know sweetie," Emily said, pushing back his shaggy hair. "But it only lasts a moment. Your knee doesn't hurt any more does it?"

Luke shook his head. "I wish I could just...give them a hug, or a band-aid."

"I'm sure his mommy has that well in hand my love. But for now, how about we make some cookies?"

Luke nodded, rushing towards the kitchen, because there was nothing better than cookies.

~

As Luke grew up, he learned one thing-his soulmate was a klutz. He was always getting hurt-skinned knees here, scrapped palms there. Luke tried to keep himself from harm as a result-not becoming cautious, but he didn't want to cause his soulmate any more pain than he was already experiencing first hand.

Then his soulmate got braces.

Braces sucked, or to Luke's estimation they did-each month it was hours of pain and discomfort to get them adjusted. Eventually he got used to it, but it still took him off guard when the first twinge in his jaw started.

Luke took extra good care of his teeth after that-there was no way he was getting braces, no matter what.

His mom noticed his discomfort too-he never could hide much from her, but when he came home, rubbing his jaw, she was alway there, a plate of cookie and a hug waiting for him.

"It''ll get better sweetie, I promise you."

"Does it ever stop?" Luke wondered. "Do you still feel Dad's pain?"

Emily shook her head. "No, not any more. It stopped when we met. But Luke honey, a lot of people don't meet their soulmate until college, a lot of times after it. Some people don't ever meet their soulmate. I just want to prepare you for what might be a long road."

"How do you know? That they're the one?"

Emily hummed for a moment, mulling the question over. "I suppose you feel...like you've come home. Like everything is right with the world and you're right where you're supposed to be-with the person you're supposed to be with."

Luke rolled his eyes at the unsatisfactory answer, but most of the other adults he asked had the same vague, non-committal answer. So he supposed he would have to wait and find the person whose soul was his home.

~

Luke awoke screaming one night, clutching at his side as the pain kept coming and coming.

"Luke!" Emily screamed, holding him. "Are you okay?"

Luke shook his head, sobbing, trying to scramble away from the never ending agony, until finally it ceased, his ribs feeling like they were on fire, and he was left exhausted. "They're really hurt. I think...I think someone kicked them. A lot."

Emily sobered at that, holding her crying son close. She couldn't imagine anyone hurting a child, even if she knew it did happen. But it hurt even worse knowing it was happening to her son's soulmate, meaning Luke was feeling every bit of that abuse.

"It's okay honey, it's over now."

"Not for them it's not," Luke said, oddly astute for his age. "I...I don't think this is the first time it's happened. I always thought they were clumsy, but now...maybe someone was hurting them all along."

Emily asked Luke to explain and she was sure the colour drained from her face as Luke recounted years of various bangs, scrapes, cuts, and bumps he had experienced.

"Okay sweetie, there isn't much either of us can do right now. How about you try to go back to sleep and we'll see if there is anything I can do to find them in the morning?"

"Okay," Luke said with a sniffle, climbing back into his bed. "Can we have cookies for breakfast?"

"Of course we can."

~

Luke was right of course, that it was just the beginning of the abuse-in fact it only got worse. Black eyes, sprained wrists, rough grabs, shoves, and hits.

Burns.

Luke whimpers his way through those-he knows he and his mom have tried, but without physical proof, there's nothing anyone in power can do, and Luke has heard abuse victims, especially kids, rarely come forward.

What's worse is that he and his mom are fighting-not about his soulmate, but about his love of music. Music had given him an escape from the pain he was experiencing day after day. It helped him cope and get through. He had written countless songs for his soulmate-reams and reams of songs that he hoped would help in some little way.

Luke figured if he got his music out there, maybe somehow, his soulmate would hear it, they would find each other, and then Luke could keep them safe.

But his mom thought it was more important for him to finish school, find a good job, and then he would have better resources to help himself.

Luke disagreed-his stuff was good, he knew it was. And if he got it out now, made it big, there was a better chance that was one less day his soulmate was hurting.

He had never seen himself as the white knight-but this was his soulmate, the person he was tied to, and if he save just one person, it was going to be them.

So why on Earth should Luke worry about math when he could do something?

It lead to another big, knock down fight-and even then, as Luke pedaled away, he knew his mom would never lay a hand on him, would never hurt him-not physically anyways. But her lack of belief in his talent, his staunch adherence to 'how things are supposed to be' hurt him emotionally.

It sucked to leave, but he knew he had to get out, to save not only his soulmate, but himself. Even as he whispered apologies to the air as the hunger pangs and cooler temperatures set in-Luke knew he was doing the right thing.

~

He was busking at the pier-sure he'd prefer to be shipping a demo to every producer and label in town, but for that, he needed money, so busking and the odd shift at the diner where they paid him under the table made that work-and kept him from starving as hr squat in an abandoned garage.

It was a slow day honestly-the winter months meant less traffic, and Luke was considering packing it in, seeing if maybe the gym where he got a cheap membership had a shower free-honestly the only reason he had gotten said membership.

One more hour, and then he'd take his meagre earnings out for a burger. Maybe splurge on a milkshake.

He was just strumming idly when a gaunt figure came up to him, swaying a little to the music. Luke played a little louder, deciding on an old classic that always made people smile, and this stranger was no different.

His smile was lovely-wide and bright, with remarkably good teeth. But his eyes-they were hollow, like this dude had seen some sight you know?

So Luke played his heart out-if only to brighten this guys day; he looked like he needed it.

As he finished, the guy clapped loudly, but then looked sheepish. "I wish I had some coins to tip you with, but I'm a little low on funds."

"It's cool," Luke said with a shrug. "Money is great and all, but I want my music to reach as many people as I can. Touching people's hearts is way better than getting them to empty their wallets."

"Rad," the guys said.

"You got any requests?" Luke asked. "Slow day, rather play for an appreciative audience."

The guys blushed quite prettily, and Luke could feel his cheeks aching from how hard that made him smile. Sure him, the guy was cute, and he liked his music, what more could you ask for?

"Play me one of yours," he finally said. "I bet you have some."

"Tons," Luke admitted. "One condition though-tell me your name."

"Why?"

"Curiosity?"

"Oh it's Reggie. I'm Reggie."

"My name is Luke. And this is Crooked Teeth."

He sang the song he'd written after his soulmate had gotten braces-all about their shared pain, and how much Luke would love their smile, crooked teeth and all. It was kind of silly, but he always had a fondness for it.

Reggie clapped even louder for that. "Oh man, as a person who suffered through braces, you got it down pat! It sucked! But my smile is rather lovely now right?" He flashed Luke a cheeky grin.

"Devastating," Luke admitted. He was about to ask Reggie if he had any other requests when he saw Reggie roll up the sleeves of his flannel. Showing of his forearms-forearms that had a few circular scars-burns-that Luke knew well.

He had felt every one of them being administered after all.

"Reggie-" Luke started, his voice shaking. "Reggie...about five years ago, did your soulmate get a twisted ankle?"

"Um...yeah?" Reggie answered, looking perplexed. "Really odd too, because they rarely ever got hurt. I did that enough for the both of us I guess."

Luke put his six string down, taking a step towards Reggie. "And...when you were around five, did you scrape your knee really bad?"

"What five year old didn't?"

"I hadn't," Luke admitted. "But my soulmate did. That was the first bit of pain I felt through our link. Just like I felt every time they got their braces done." He took another step forward then. "Every bump, scrape. Shove, push, hit...Reggie I felt everything."

"Oh god," Reggie swore, lifting a hand to his mouth. "Oh god, I am so sorry."

Luke pulled him in for a hug then, the overwhelming feeling of home washing over him. Oh, that's what his mom meant. Suppose he owed her an apology-about a lot of things. "Why? It's not your fault." Whoever did all those terrible, awful things to you-it's their fault."

"But I didn't stop him, even though I knew you felt it. I didn't leave, even when it got really bad. I could have..." Reggie sobbed then, burying his face into Luke's shoulder.

"Ssssh, it's okay. You're with me now, I'll keep you safe." Luke promised. "You never have to go back there again."

"I can't...I don't...thank you," Reggie finally sighed.

Luke held him tighter, the two of them clinging to one another as they cried for the years of torment and abuse, the sadness of what they had endured, the rightness of finally being together once more.

Then their stomachs growled and they broke apart laughing.

"Man I'm starving," Luke said, smiling at Reggie. "What's your favourite thing to eat?"

"This might sound silly, but chocolate chip cookies?" Reggie admitted.

Luke barked out a laugh, gathering his stuff and taking Reggie's hand. "Well I just happen to know the best place in all of LA to get them. Come on, let's go home."

Luke:

Luke definitely makes the first move, but Reggie flirts with him for like a year before said move is made.

Reggie puts country songs in Lukes songbook, and to ask him out, Luke finishes one of them and forces the other guys to perform it with him for Reggie.

Reggie cries because he's so touched, and Luke freaks out because he thinks he messed up.

But then Reggie smiles and explains why he's crying. Luke then kisses him. Luke goes on to write 5 songs about that specific kiss.

Alex:

Reggie makes the first move. Alex was planning on making a move that same day.

They go somewhere together, a fair or a festival... someplace with a lot of people and a lot of loud noise.

Alex is nervous in places like that, so Reggie takes his hand to calm him down. They get separated from the other guys quickly and wander around the place together.

They get something to eat, and Reggie wipes some food from Alex's face. He wants to make his move right there, but Alex is not comfortable at all, and Reggie wants it all to be special.

So they leave the place and go to the beach. There are almost no people around, and Alex relaxes. Reggie still reaches for his hand and holds on as they walk along the shore.

Reggie pulls Alex into a kiss as the sun sets.

Bobby:

Bobby makes the first move because Reggie truly doesn't think Bobby likes him back.

Reggie pines after Bobby for years, and everybody knows except Bobby.

Bobby is so incredibly nervous about asking Reg out, so he does it anonymously with a valentines card that he puts in Reggies locker. The card has a time and place for a first dat.

Reggie thinks the card is from some random girl that sometimes flirts with him and pretends to be excited about that.

When Reggie goes to the place, Bobby is there already.