[A/N thank you @StaceyStonier for the request! also, guess who's back! i've been having a rough week so i've been reading more than writing but i finally finished writing this. i'm not taking requests atm cos i have so many others to get through, but i'll let you know when i am!]

juke
sickfic
hurt comfort
human! sunset curve
human! willie (probably won't be mentioned but so you're aware)
1362 words
~•~

julie was used to her three idiot best friends and bandmates not listening to her. when they'd started the band the year before julie immediately knew the boys- at that point 16- would be hard to keep in check.
julie was younger than the three of them by about 2 years but was essentially the mom of the group so when luke was acting off at school julie knew something was up.

julie had yet to bother luke about what was wrong that day, knowing she wouldn't get a direct answer anyway, and decided to confront him at band practice.
when she walked into the studio she noticed luke taking up the entire couch, but still somewhat sitting up. the guitarist had his palm pressed between his eyebrows and his face was scrunched up.

"luke?" julie half whispered, "are you ok?"

luke left out a hum and then sighed, his hand leaving his face as he sat up and faced julie, "yeah... yeah i'm fine."

"you don't look fine," julie frowned and approached luke slowly.

"oh thanks jules, real sweet of you," luke let out a sarcastic groan as julie sat next to him on the edge of the coffee table.

"you know what i mean you dork," she punched his shoulder lightly, "come on, tell me what's wrong."

luke looked at her for a second, gauging how long he could keep lying to her about feeling sick. he ended up deciding he wasn't going to be able to lie if she was sitting right there asking.

"i uh... well i have a migraine, and i'm tired, and i uh," luke was cut off by his own coughing and julie moved closer to him, placing the back of her hand on his forehead.

"you have a fever luke," she gave him a sad smile and held out her hand, "come on let's get you upstairs."

luke grabbed the singer's hand as she helped pull the guitarist up and led him into the house. ray and carlos weren't home yet, julie's brother being at school and her father at a photoshoot until later that evening, so julie led luke right up to her room.

"oh so what are we doing in your room miss molina?" luke wiggled his eyebrows slightly as he sat on julie's bed, "what happened to boundaries?" he joked, remembering the countless times he and his bandmates would walk into julie's room when they first became a band.

"nice to know you're feeling good enough to make jokes patterson," julie laughed and shook her head. "and you're in my room because i refuse to let you go through rehearsal sick. get comfy, i'm gonna call your parents and tell them you're here." julie left the room with a soft smile as luke frowned at the now closed door.

the guitarist lazily kicked his sneakers off and slid under the blankets on julie's bed. he started to get comfortable before he realized that he was in julie's bed and his eyes immediately snapped open. 'it's fine luke, she's letting you stay in here, no reason to get awkward about it,' the guitarist thought to himself as he turned to face away from the bedroom door and let himself get comfortable.

by the time julie walked back into her room luke had the blankets pulled up to his chin and held there tightly. she smiled to herself and walked up to the boy laying in her bed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"hey, you awake?" she whispered, quietly enough to stir him if he was awake but not to bother him if he was asleep.

luke hummed in acknowledgment as he turned back to face julie, "hey."

"hi," julie smiled, "you cold?"

luke nodded and julie smiled gently at him before going to get a blanket from her closet. she placed the blanket over her bandmate and wiped some hairs out of his face, the guitarist leaning into her touch slightly.

"do you want to try to eat something? i can uh... go heat up some soup if you want?" julie looked to the door and felt a hand set itself over her own that was still resting on luke's face. she felt luke shake his head and julie turned to look at him again.

"could you... could you stay with me?" a small smile flickered on luke's face for just a moment as his thumb rubbed the back of julie's hand.

"sure... yeah sure i can... i can stay."

luke smiled and let go of the girl's hand, snuggling back into his blankets. the bed shifted as julie laid next to luke and the guitarist turned to face her.

they both grinned and julie nudged him, "get some rest you dork, i'll be here when you wake up."
with that luke let his eyes flutter closed.

~•~

there was a loud knock on the door that woke julie slightly she groaned and kept her eyes closed. she was warm and didn't want to move yet.
the knocking came again and before she could yell out another voice spoke what she was thinking.

"go away!" the voice was groggy, as if the person was also just waking up, and that's when julie actually woke up and realized her bandmate's arms were tightly wrapped around her middle, and that her arms were on top of his.

then the door swung open, revealing reggie and alex in the doorway. julie immediately wiggled away from luke and the guitarist sighed slightly.

"oh thank god you're ok! julie told me you were sick and i got worried," alex ran over to the side of the bed and crouched beside luke.

"i'm fine. probably just the flu or somethin," luke replied with slightly slurred speech, "you don't have to worry bout me all the time lex."

alex and reggie both laughed at that, reggie now by alex's side. "come on man, the last time you were sick we thought... well you know... of course we were worried."

alex nudged reggie lightly and the two looked over at julie. alex cleared his throat softly, "i'm gonna uh... head out since we're not rehearsing." alex nodded to the door and stood up before walking out.

reggie hopped up then as well, "i'm gonna go too, get better luke," the bassist smiled and left the room as well.

as soon as both boys left the room luke turned back towards julie. "i uh... sorry about them. they get overly worried when i get sick."

"yeah, i noticed. what happened... you know the last time you were sick?"

luke looked down slightly and frowned, "i uh... almost died. the guys and i all had food poisoning but of the three of us... it affected me the worst, and you know how alex gets with worrying."

julie nodded sadly and reached out to grab luke's hand under the covers. "thank you for telling me luke. it means a lot that you trust me with that."

"i trust you with a lot of things jules." the two smiled at each other, hands intertwined and moved closer together. "hey jules?"

"yeah luke?"

"i uh... this probably isn't the best time to tell you this, but i like you a lot," he smiled at the girl shyly and brushed a few hairs from her eyes.

"i like you too, you dork. it took you long enough to say something!" she laughed at him.

"it took me long enough to say something? why didn't YOU say anything?"

"because i was scared it would ruin the band dynamic and flynn agreed with me."

"nothing could ruin the band dynamic, and don't tell flynn i said this," luke's voice dropped to a whisper, "but i wouldn't listen to her relationship advice."

julie giggled and shook her head at him. "you're a dork luke patterson."

"i'm your dork. and your boyfriend... if you want me to be?"

julie laughed again, her grin taking up most of her face, "my dork and my boyfriend... i like the sound of that."

they both laughed until they could barely breathe and eventually fell asleep again, cuddled close and now boyfriend and girlfriend.