Chapter Text
The pain started during his run.
Alex Mercer had decided to go for a full ten miles that morning. It’d been a while since he’d done more than five miles, not wanting to take too much time when Ray and the rest of the Molina family were waiting on him for breakfast. He knew he could’ve gotten up earlier to go for a longer run, but that would’ve meant less sleep, and Alex was not a masochist.
But today was Saturday, and everyone else was going to sleep in, so he could take his time. This early in the morning, it had been like he’d had the whole city to himself. His run to the Barnsdall Art Park had been fantastic. He loved running through the urban greenery and seeing the old buildings with the view of the Hollywood sign in the distance. It also hadn’t changed a lot from 1995, which was nice. Sometimes he liked not being constantly reminded that he’d gone forward in time.
The iPhone Ray had bought him could play music, and Julie had given him wireless headphones and a subscription to something called ‘Spotify’ for his birthday the week before. Apparently it had every song in the world. So now he had a soundtrack to run to, which was the absolute best. He swore that he ran even faster when music was playing.
And of course, running well was part of his Gift. He’d never known he’d had one until after he’d sort-of died and ended up in the future with Luke and Reggie. Now he knew about it, it was weird he’d never realized it before. Physical stuff was so easy for him. He could find the rhythm in anything: drumming, dancing, running. Even kissing was easy when he used his Gift. The thought made him think of Willie, and how great kissing him was. He smiled.
But now, as he rounded the corner to head the final mile home, he was sore.
It wasn’t that bad, more of an uncomfortable feeling on the outside edge of his left foot, like his shoe was rubbing. It was irritating, maybe just on the border of pain. He grimaced. There would probably be a big blister there when he was done.
I need new kicks, he thought, using the slang Julie had taught him. He was wearing his old runners he’d found in the bag of clothes that somehow hadn’t been tossed since 1995. He remembered throwing them in when he was packing his stuff the night he was kicked out. They had been worn out then and they certainly hadn’t improved with time.
He wondered if Ray would be okay with buying him another pair. Everything seemed so expensive nowadays. He remembered freaking out with how much everything cost when he’d first run away to stay at Bobby’s place, but it was all so much worse now. It made him feel bad asking Ray for anything, especially as his birthday had already passed. Maybe Alison will get them for me? He winced as he thought it. His sister and her wife had two little kids at home. They'd taken him clothes shopping for his birthday as well. He really didn’t want to ask.
He felt his gait change as the irritation worsened, and he pushed his Gift harder to find a better rhythm, but he was tired, and then his calf started cramping and the run suddenly became a lot let pleasant. He gritted his teeth, willing the cramp to stop. He could see Julie’s street sign and he sped up, which hurt worse but was worth it. He’d stop as soon as he reached it and walk from there. It would give him a good cool-down.
He hit the sign and gratefully slowed to a walk. It immediately eased the pain in his calf, but did nothing for the uncomfortable feeling in his foot. By the time he pushed open the studio doors he was limping.
Willie sat up from where he’d been reading on the couch. “Alex?”
“I’m okay.” Alex waved him off as he limped over to the couch. He took his earbuds out. “Just a cramp.”
“Looks worse than that.” Willie frowned and pulled Alex down to sit beside him. He grabbed a blister pack of glucose tablets and gave Alex two before lifting Alex’s left leg onto his lap. Alex chewed and swallowed while Willie explored his leg with his fingers. “Where does it hurt?”
Alex hissed as Willie’s fingers dug into his sore muscle. “There!”
“Hold on.” Willie grimaced as he started massaging his leg. “How’s that?”
Alex relaxed as his tight calf let go. “Awesome.”
Willie’s concerned expression morphed into something way more flirty. “You know you don’t have to hurt yourself to get me to touch you. You can just ask.”
Alex laughed, knowing he was blushing. “Maybe I like it when you touch me.”
“Maybe I like it, too.” Willie bit his lip in a way that he knew made Alex crazy.
Alex slid himself further over until he was straddling Willie’s lap. “Maybe I like you.” He bent down enough so their lips touched. Willie surged into him, grasping the back of Alex’s head, mouth moving on his. Alex made a soft noise of pleasure. He loved this, loved kissing Willie. He just loved Willie, full stop. He couldn’t believe they’d found each other as ghosts.
Willie’s hands moved from the back of Alex’s head across his shoulders and down his spine, before coming to rest on his hips. He gripped Alex tighter against him, letting him feel how aroused he was.
Alex groaned and licked into Willie’s mouth.
“Alex. We should stop before someone comes in,” Willie gasped. Alex thought that sounded like a terrible idea. He kissed Willie again and Willie laughed against his mouth. “Don’t you need a shower anyway?”
An idea struck Alex, something both awesome and terrifying at the same time. “Do you want to take a shower...With me?”
Willie drew back. His pupils were blown wide. “Are you sure?”
Alex bit his lip. He and Willie had only been together for about three weeks, at least one of which they’d both been ghosts. It was the longest Alex had ever dated anyone. He had no idea if he was ready for what he was thinking, but wow, he wanted it. He wanted Willie. He nodded.
“I need you to say it,” Willie said, gaze still holding Alex’s.
“I’m sure,” Alex said. His voice only quivered a little.
Willie’s face split with a huge smile. “Well, then. Let’s get you clean.”
Alex grinned and stood, and then laughed out loud as Willie grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bathroom. He was so incredibly happy.
Alex and Willie only left the shower after the water had turned ice cold.
Willie dried Alex’s hair and then carefully dried every inch of his boyfriend’s beautiful body. Alex wasn’t a giant, but he was the tallest of the four boys and had a runner’s body: long and lean with muscle. Willie couldn’t believe how lucky he was. “You’re gorgeous,” Willie murmured as he gently ran the towel down Alex’s legs to dry his feet.
Alex laughed, delighted. “I think you are, too.”
Willie chuckled. “I know. I think you did a good job showing me that.” He rubbed the towel over Alex’s left foot and Alex hissed in pain.
Willie immediately moved his hands and looked at the edge of Alex’s foot. “What’s wrong?”
Alex lifted his foot so he could look at it. “I don’t know. It was hurting when I was running, but I can’t see anything wrong with it. Maybe I’m getting a blister?”
Willie grasped Alex’s heel to hold his foot still. There wasn’t anything visible on the outside of his foot. “Do you think you have a stress fracture or something?”
“Like when you crack a bone from too much exercise?”
“Yeah. Maybe you should get Alison to check it out?”
“Probably,” Alex agreed. “I also think I need new running shoes.”
“You should ask Ray. He’ll get you a new pair.” Willie stood and wrapped the towel around his waist.
“Maybe?” Alex sighed as he wrapped another towel around his own waist, which caused Willie a moment of mourning. “But they’re so expensive.”
“You’re worth it,” Willie said with confidence. He leaned over and kissed Alex.
Alex returned it with his usual enthusiasm. “Thank you,” he murmured, forehead pressed against Willie’s, “that was really nice.”
Willie knew Alex didn’t mean his comment about deserving new shoes. “It was okay? For your first time?” he asked, feeling suddenly insecure. He’d wanted to make it good for Alex, to give him everything he deserved.
“Oh yeah!” Alex grinned widely. “Better than I’d imagined!”
That surprised a bark of laughter out of Willie. “Thought about it a lot, have you?”
“No, of course not!” Alex blushed furiously. “I mean…”
“It’s okay. I’ve thought a lot about having sex with you, too.”
“Yeah?” Alex stroked Willie’s face. “I hope it was good. For you, I mean, I know I’m not your first…”
I don’t know who was my first, Willie thought. Or when it might’ve happened, or even how he felt about it. Or even if it’d happened at all. He had no memory of that event. He forced those thoughts away. “It was good. Really good. Ten out of ten. Would recommend.” Willie smiled.
Alex laughed. “That’s an internet joke, isn’t it?”
He was so beautiful when he laughed. Willie just had to kiss him. Alex responded immediately, his hands going into Willie’s hair, gripping tightly.
There was a loud pounding on the door. “Are you guys coming out anytime soon?” Reggie complained. “Because some of us have dates with our girlfriends this afternoon and we would also like a shower.”
Alex and Willie burst out laughing.
Alex wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans and tried to settle himself behind the drum kit.
Today was their audition for the Los Feliz School of the Arts Music Program, and Alex was hella nervous.
He knew they were going to be fine. Really. There was no reason for his heart to be careening around in his chest like a broken pinball machine. He should be more like Luke, who was so excited he was literally bouncing on the stage. Or Reggie, who was so focussed on Flynn he clearly wasn’t noticing the teacher right there, ready to fail them all if they made the slightest mistake.
“Hold it together, Alex,” he muttered to himself. Luke was Gifted in music. As long as he was on stage with them it was almost impossible for the audition to go badly. And Alex’s own Gift made him a particularly good drummer. Even Reggie, who had to rely just on natural talent, was a totally rad bassist. Everything would be fine.
If he didn’t forget everything he’d ever learned about how to drum, right after yaking all over the stage.
Reggie finally tore his gaze away from Flynn to look at Alex, who was trying not to hyperventilate. “Don’t worry, we got this!”
“We’re going to be totally awesome!” Luke enthused. “Mrs. Harrison won’t know what hit her!”
“I assume if I’m going to be hit with something, it will be a musical performance worthy of this school?” Mrs. Harrison said, eyebrow arched.
Luke gulped. “Yes?”
“Then I suggest you get started, gentlemen.” She turned regally and went to her seat.
“Hey everyone!” Luke said into the mic. There was only a small amount of feedback. “We’re the Phantoms from Julie and the Phantoms!”
“Tell your friends!” Reggie piped in immediately, and Alex just managed not to wince. He glanced over Luke’s head to where Julie and Flynn were sitting together in the front row, practically vibrating with excitement to see them play. The faith the two girls had in them was humbling, and it made Alex feel moderately better.
“This song is called “Now or Never!” Luke said, and they started to play.
Once again, Alex had been surprised Luke wanted to play that song. It’d been the sound check at the Orpheum when the stage had burned down and they'd almost died, and it’d been the first song they played for Caleb Covington at his club before he'd nearly killed them all. Alex was beginning to think it might be cursed.
But by the time he joined in with the pounding rhythm, he was right there with Luke with how much he loved it. “One life, no regrets!” Luke sang, and Alex couldn’t help but beam as he thumped out the beat on the drums. His right foot was busy with the kick drum, and his left was on the hi hats, keeping the timing of the fast-paced rock anthem. He also added his voice to the harmonies, backing Luke’s vocals and making the song awesome. It was a lot to think of: both hands, both feet and his mouth all going at once, but it was what his Gift had built him for and he just loved it. He could feel Luke’s Gift flowing through him, elevating his talents to a level that was absolutely stellar. For the three minutes and three seconds the song would take, his brain would hold nothing but rhythm and music. Everything else was blissfully quiet.
But two-and-a-half minutes into the song, his left foot started to hurt.
It wasn’t bad, not really. It was just uncomfortable enough to be distracting. A small discomfort that took up space in his head and made him way too aware of what his foot was doing.
Don’t blow it, Alex, he warned himself. He was the drummer, and no matter what Luke thought about his Gift being able to carry all of them, the song would be a bust if it wasn’t for him keeping time. Luke was a phenomenal musician, but he could be all over the place if the hi hats weren’t keeping him grounded. And if Luke went off, Reggie would, too. Alex knew how important he was to the music. A little pain wasn’t going to stop him.
But it hurt. Not badly, not really, but it was the same irritation he’d felt when he’d gone running on Saturday. Like there was something wrong with his skin, like a blister, but somehow inside?
He shook his head, ignoring it. Now was not the time.
Finally, the song ended and the whole class burst into wild applause. The boys just managed to put their guitars down before Flynn and Julie swarmed the stage. Flynn went straight to embrace Reggie and Julie threw her arms around Luke’s neck. Alex sighed, wishing Willie was there to celebrate their success so he could get a nice hug, too. He’d have to wait until later.
He shook out his foot, grimacing.
“Alex, Alex, Alex!” Julie had released Luke and bounced over to him. “That was amazing!”
“You think so?” Alex smiled up at her from his seat at the drums, pleased by her praise. He thought of his sore foot. “I was worried I might’ve been off-beat?”
“No man, that was perfect!” Luke gushed, “We are in this music program for sure!”
“Totally!” Reggie agreed, hand around Flynn’s waist. “We killed it!”
“I’m glad you’re so confident, Luke,” Mrs. Harrison said, the same eyebrow still raised like it was stuck there. “I’ll let you know my decision by the end of class. Reginald, please release Flynn and all of you, take your seats.”
“Ma’am,” Reggie gulped. He took his hand off Flynn like she was on fire.
“Reginald,” Luke snickered, clearly unphased by the teacher’s words.
Must be nice to be so sure, Alex sighed to himself. He was a bundle of nerves about it already and they’d have to wait thirty whole minutes before finding out if they were in. He thought he might actually throw up for real.
“Alexander? Your seat?”
“Oh, right! Sorry, Mrs. Harrison!” Alex squeaked. He’d forgotten he was still behind the drums. He stood to go back to his chair. “Ow!”
Every kid in class looked at him. “Sorry. Something’s wrong with my foot.” His face was flaming.
Mrs. Harrison’s sharp eyes were on him. “Do you need to see the nurse?”
“No! Nope, no nurse,” Alex said. There was no way he was going to leave class before she told them if they’d made it into the program. He’d upchuck in the hallway if he had to wait a second longer.
“Alright,” she said skeptically as she watched him limp to his seat beside Julie. “But please let me know if it gets worse.” He grinned and flashed her a ‘thumbs up’ before he slid into his chair, then immediately lowered his hands when she glared at him, unimpressed.
Julie’s brown eyes were trained on him, clearly concerned. “What’s wrong with your foot?” she whispered as Mrs. Harrison started their lesson. It was about different types of music scales, which was nothing Alex hadn’t learned before.
“Nothing. It’s just a little sore, is all. I think I got a blister from my run Saturday.”
She frowned. “I think you need new shoes.”
“Maybe? I think mine are probably fine,” he said quickly. The idea of Ray spending money on him twisted his stomach.
“Fine for the 1990s!”
“But shoes are so expensive…”
Julie frowned at him. “Alex, my dad knows kids cost money. He wouldn’t have taken you guys in if we couldn’t afford it.”
Considering that he, Luke, Reggie and Willie had just appeared in the Molina’s studio after being both figuratively and theoretically dead, Alex wasn’t so sure Ray felt he'd had a choice. “Maybe I should ask my sister?”
“Sure,” Julie said. “Or you could ask my dad, since he’s, like, the one taking care of you.”
“Shut up,” Alex said without heat.
“Trust me. He wants to do this,” Julie said.
“And I would like you to pay attention to the lesson,” Mrs. Harrison said.
Alex and Julie stopped talking.
“Hey,” Julie whispered after Mrs. Harrison had turned back to the thing that looked like a giant whiteboard but was actually a computer screen, “want me to fix your foot?”
Julie’s Gift was sharing her Lifeforce, which had a strange side-effect of allowing her to see ghosts. It also meant she could help people heal themselves by giving them little bursts of energy. Alex didn’t understand it, but he’d sure felt it when Julie had saved them all from Caleb. “Yes!” Alex said immediately. “Do you need me to take my shoe off?”
“Probably not. Give.” Julie gestured and Alex shifted so his left calf was on Julie’s lap, his foot in easy reach. She put her hand over the toe of his shoe and concentrated for a moment. Her hand started to glow a soft, pure white light. There was a small flash, and all the discomfort in Alex’s foot disappeared.
He sighed in relief, lowering his leg back to the floor. His foot really had hurt. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.” She popped a glucose tablet out of a packet and slid it into her mouth before putting it back into her bag. All Gifted students were required to carry glucose tablets with them per school policy. “God, I hate how these taste.”
“You’d think something made of sugar would be sweet, right?”
“And you’d think students wanting to get into the music program would be quieter,” Mrs. Harrison said, looking right at Alex.
He shrunk down into his seat as Julie giggled.
“Grade nine? Are you serious?”
“I’m sorry, William, but the placement test—”
“Willie,” Willie interrupted her. “It’s Willie. Not William.”
“I’m sorry,” Ms. Lam, the guidance counsellor repeated, looking moderately contrite. Willie, Ray and the counsellor were sitting in her office at Los Feliz School of the Arts, reviewing the results of the test Willie had taken, to see how much high school he’d have to redo in order to graduate.
Willie hadn’t been expecting much. It had been thirty years since he’d touched a textbook, after all. He’d died in what he’d assumed was his senior year. Julie had brought him back to life less than three weeks ago in mid-September. He couldn’t remember when he died, or how old he’d been. He thought he was around eighteen, but he wasn’t really sure. There was a lot of things he didn’t know.
Apparently, math was one of them.
Ray cleared his throat. “You were saying?”
“Willie’s placement test shows that he’s well above grade level for English and modern history, but below for math and science. But beyond that we still don’t have his original transcript. At this point we’d have to start him in grade nine to ensure he’d get all the credits he’d need to graduate.”
“Oh my God.” Willie dropped his head back and slumped further in his chair. He had a vague sensation of high school being kind of cool the first time around, but there was no way he wanted to be sitting in a class with fourteen-year-olds. He looked at Ray.
Ray caught his meaning. “What if we can locate his transcript?” he asked her.
“We’d give him credit for any course he’d taken that was still relevant thirty years later. However, the requirements for graduation changed in 2016, and Willie will still be responsible for anything he missed. I know it’s a lot to take in,” Ms. Lam said directly to Willie, voice kind, “and I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to teleport to the future with no way to get home. But we’ll help you through it.”
Willie smiled tightly at her. “Thanks.” They’d only told the administration of Los Feliz School for the Arts part of the truth: that he’d ended up almost thirty years in the future. That might have been true for Alex, Luke and Reggie, thanks to Reggie’s Gift, but it wasn’t even close to what Willie had been through. However, the State of California actually had rules for dealing with Gifted people who ended up travelling through time, which meant Willie’s reintegration into society was as easy as him checking a box on a form saying he somehow ended up in 2020 from 1991.
But there probably wasn’t a check box in the whole United States for "was the student formerly dead?"
The counsellor looked between Ray and Willie. “Would you like to register now? We could start you in classes as early as this afternoon.”
Willie shook his head without even glancing at Ray. He was not ready to join up with some freshman class. Not today, and probably not ever. “Let me find my transcript first. I’d hate to waste some teacher’s time.” He smiled as he said it, using the same charming expression that had kept Caleb from killing him more than once.
“Alright…” Ms. Lam's voice made it very clear how bad an idea she thought that was. “But it’s already October. You don’t want to fall too far behind.”
I’m thirty years behind, Willie thought, but he just grinned wider as he stood, suddenly desperate to get out of there. “Thank you for your help.”
She stood as well, as did Ray, clearly getting the hint. “Nice to meet you, Willie,” she said brightly. She put out her hand.
Willie managed not to pause for too long before he shook it. It was so weird that he could touch people now, and that everyone could see him. He couldn't wrap his head around being back in the world.
Ray shook her hand and promised they’d be in touch, but Willie didn’t even wait for him to finish before he was down the hall, out the doors and waiting by Ray’s car. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a cigarette before he died, or even if smoking was a thing he did, but he really wanted one now.
Ray appeared and pressed the button on his key fob that automatically opened the door. It was so strange to have to wait for a car door to open now. He used to just slide in beside Julie or teleport to wherever they were going. Having to wait for keyless entry was such a small thing, but yet another reminder of how everything had changed.
He got and Ray got into the car. “Seatbelt,” Ray said.
Willie almost argued that he didn’t need it, but then he sighed and put it on. You’re not a ghost anymore, he reminded himself fiercely. He wished it would just sink in.
“So,” Ray said after a few minutes of quiet driving, “that must have been a bit of a blow.”
Willie glance at Ray out of the corner of his eye. “I just need to find my transcript.”
“You know I’d be happy to help with that,” Ray said, “we could probably contact your old school, see if they have the records—”
“No!” Willie said, too quickly. “No,” he repeated, softer this time. “It’s really nice of you to offer, but I can do it. Now that I’m alive again.” He smiled as he said it, like he was just looking forward to doing his own stuff now that he was back in the world.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. It’s been thirty years since I’ve had to do anything like this. I should probably get used to bureaucracy again, right?” Willie said, infusing his voice with as much sincerity as he could.
“Okay,” Ray sighed, “but let me know if you need help?”
“Absolutely.” Willie grinned at him, like everything was fine. Ray smiled back, like he bought it.
But the truth was, everything wasn’t fine. Willie couldn’t remember anything about his life before. Everything that he’d lived through before he died was a complete blank, like it’d never happened. It was like his life had begun with his afterlife.
It was like he’d been born a ghost.
“We got in!” Reggie shouted as he blasted through the studio doors, Alex and Luke hot on his heels.
Willie immediately stood up from where he’d been reviewing a grade nine math textbook. “You did?”
“Yes! We are the newest music students at Los Feliz School of the Arts!” Luke fist-pumped.
“That’s awesome!” Willie enthused. He was so happy for his friends. He gave Reggie, then Luke and then Alex a hug. Alex lingered in his arms and Willie felt a small piece of him relax. Things always felt so much better when Alex was with him. “So, when do you start?”
“Tomorrow,” Alex said, gently withdrawing from Willie’s embrace. “We have to show up early to get our timetables.”
“We’re back in grade eleven, though.” Luke scowled. “I can’t believe I have to do geography over again.”
“You dropped out of school in grade eleven,” Reggie reminded him.
Luke’s scowl deepened. “Only for half.”
“I don’t mind. It’ll give us more of a chance to get used to everything before we go off to university.” Alex shrugged.
“University? You mean on tour!” Luke exclaimed gleefully as he pounded Reggie on the back. “This band is gonna be famous!”
Alex grinned. “Okay, that too.”
Willie smiled at their joy, but inside he felt a bit sick. At this rate it would take him two more years to graduate than Alex. Would his boyfriend really want to wait for him while he was surrounded by groupies? He really needed his transcript.
Like he was reading his mind, Alex turned to him. “How’d your assessment go?”
“Oh yeah! I forgot that was today! I bet you’ve already graduated, right?” Reggie nudged Willie with his elbow.
“Not even close.” Willie sighed. He sat back down on the couch, all the energy leaving him as he thought about his day. “I have to start over from freshman year.”
“Grade nine? Really?” Luke frowned as he sat down on one of the chairs. Reggie pulled up the other chair beside him.
“That seems like cruel and unusual punishment.” Alex sat beside him. “Don’t you get any time off for good behaviour?”
Willie smirked at that. “Nope. Well, not without my transcripts.”
“But doesn’t your old school have a copy? Like, don’t they have to keep a record or something?” Alex asked.
“From ninety-one though? Would anyone keep records that long?” Reggie asked, and then yelped when Luke smacked him. “I’m just asking!”
“They keep them. The guidance counsellor told me today,” Willie said with certainty.
“That’s great news! We can just go to your old school and get them!” Alex beamed at him.
Except I have no fucking clue what school that would be. Willie just managed not to grimace. “Sure.”
“I bet Flynn could help. She’s a genius at finding stuff on the internet.” Reggie pulled out his phone. “What’s the name of your old school?”
“They’ll probably need your last name and date of birth,” Luke added. His eyebrows drew down. “What is your last name, anyway?”
“It’s okay,” Willie said quickly, before the conversation got out of his control. “It’s way too nice of a day to spend time indoors! Besides, I think I should take my boyfriend out for ice cream, to celebrate.”
“I love ice cream!” Reggie said happily.
“Then take Flynn,” Willie said to him.
“Yeah, dude, this is Willie and Alex time.” Luke swatted his shoulder.
“Fine. I will.” Reggie glared at them and then texted something on his phone. His face split in a wide smile a moment later. “Tell Ray I might be late for dinner!” He disappeared in a flash of golden light.
“God, I hate his Gift,” Alex muttered. He stood and took Willie’s hand. “But you promised me ice cream?”
Willie let Alex pull him to his feet before leaning in for a kiss.
“Ew.” Luke made a face. “I’m right here.”
“Fine, we’re leaving.” Alex laughed.
“I’m going to see if Julie wants to make music with me,” Luke said as he grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He still wasn’t in the habit of having it with him wherever he went.
“’Making music.’” Willie made air quotes. “Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” He laughed and then had to duck when Luke threw a pillow at him.
“We’d better leave,” Alex said, tugging his hand, and Willie followed, glad his distraction had worked. He didn’t like lying to Alex, but he knew how upset Alex would be if he realized Willie couldn’t remember anything before his death. Willie was the strong one in the relationship; the one who helped Alex through his anxiety attacks and who held him after his nightmares. Alex deserved all the love and care, and Willie was going to give it to him. Otherwise, there was no reason for Alex to love him. Willie would sort it out.
Satisfied with that thought, he and Alex left the studio and stepped out into the afternoon sunshine.