Chapter Text
Glancing out the window from his seat on the bean bag in the basement, Reggie unthinkingly bit his lip slightly. Ten minutes into rehearsal, both him Alex, and Bobby had chosen to take a break. Though it was not said aloud it was a silent agreement to wait for Luke. Strange that he had not shown up yet? After five more minutes passed and then a few more Alex’s teasing jokes about Luke always being late had ceased. And now, the blonde’s usual smirk was gone, and his forehead was wrinkled from where he was worried.
Meanwhile, Bobby had not stopped pacing in the corner his hands nervously fidgeting together. It was enough to make Reggie want to snap, but then he remembered that Bobby was just concerned, and that to make the already tense atmosphere any worse would just mean being a bad friend.
But then again Luke wasn’t just a friend to him. Well, or rather he was. But not to Reggie. Not when Luke entering a room meant his heartbeat fluttering faster and a desperate urge to literally yell at his cheeks to not even dare turning read. Not when sharing a mic with Luke made him want to literally just leave, hopping of the stage never to return, unless that distance was closed completely.
This, however, was not what he should be thinking about right now though. Clearly it was about to rain, and after Alex had called the Patterson’s home and gotten a short answer from Luke’s mother, the band’s belief that he was not at home was confirmed. But if he wasn’t home where was he?
As if reading these thoughts Alex began to chatter nervously.
“So where do you guys think he is? What if there’s something wrong”?
“Well I think that would be a given Alex if he isn’t here.” At this, Alex turned around to scrunch his nose up at Bobby as if he were about to make some sarcastic reply, but at the other boy’s raised hands of surrendered apology, he exchanged a rueful smile with him and turned around to look at Reggie instead.
“Well?”
Pausing before he spoke the brunette carefully considered his words. Yes he was almost sure of where Luke might be, but he was also certain that if he was there, he was definitely freaking out, and though both boys loved their friends, Reggie instinctively felt that there was only one person that Luke would let see him that way. Reggie. With this in mind Reggie responded.
“Actually I think I’ve figured out where he might be. But I don’t know that all of us should go? If I’m right I don’t think he’ll be happy about that.”
Sharing a look, Bobby and Alex appeared to come to a silent agreement. With a small smile Alex nodded at Reggie
“Why are you still here then?”
Throwing a quick smile of appreciation at his two friends, Reggie sprung up from the bean bag, and grabbing a jacket, he hurried out the door.
From Bobby’s house the usual 15-minute walk that it would have been from his own, took at least 25 minutes. As he approached the park, he silently thanked himself for not only wearing a sweatshirt but also grabbing the jacket on his way out. The spring chill was biting.
Once inside the park, the 17-year-old made a beeline down the dark winding pavement. Pointedly, Reggie made an effort to not look up at the grey storm clouds gathering above. In the distance he was almost sure of an ominous rumble of thunder.
Let me find him please.
As the pathway crested to its highest point, Reggie’s breath stopped. There, a few feet ahead of him, was Luke. But his friend did not appear to see him. And wait, was that a sleeveless shirt he had on? In this weather? Gathering his pace Reggie hurried towards him. In fact he was so fast that Luke did not even see his friend until his was nearly on top of him. The other boy’s thoughts were still fogged. Perhaps not in a tangled web, but they were confused, complicated, and messy all the same.
When a gentle but steadying hand rested on his shoulder he did not see it coming. Therefore, it was a kneejerk reaction to bring his elbow back sharply, and by result straight into Reggie’s hip. A fact that for all the world, resulted in an emphatic ooOpH, from the other boy. Instantly Luke drew his arm back, but the damage was already done.
“R-reggie! I’m really sorry. Are you good??”
With a huff of sight laughter mixed with pain his friend plopped down next to him.
“Don’t worry dude it’s fine… you’re good. I can promise you it didn’t hurt that bad. Plus I’m the one who touched you out of nowhere. I’d be more concerned if you hadn’t reacted like that. And speaking of nowhere, why are you here? What happened to practice? We waited for you.”
At this Luke tensed next to Reggie and the other boy regretted slightly his last word choices. He had not wanted to appear accusatory to his friend. Staring again but in a quieter and more even tone he met Luke’s eyes.
“We were worried about you.” Pausing, and hoping it wouldn’t give him away Reggie added, “I was worried about you”
It was everything Luke could do to not edge closer to Reggie when he said this. But now was not the time for that. Definitely not. So, instead he chose to meet his friends’ gaze. For a moment both boys looked at each other green eyes meeting blue. In that moment Luke began to feel the weight on his chest ease slightly.
“It’s my mom”
With Reggie’s nod of encouragement to go on, Luke continued, his voice dying out though towards the end.
“I kind of actually stood up to her for once. But well, as you can probably guess it did not go well.”
Pausing, Luke took a long breath and blew it out. “She told me to not bother coming home and I don’t know I just kind of freaked out.”
Here in his story Luke’s hands began to fidget as he began to forcefully rub the top of his hand. Reggie refrained from making any comment though. Not yet at least.
“So, I just left, and I ran to the park, and I think I like started to panic? But it was cold so maybe I was just shivering. A-and honestly like it’s kind of my fault ya know? Because she does so much for me, and I just asked to leave and didn’t even wait. I just assumed her answer, and I hate it when people do that to me, and then I was going to be late and you guys were going to kick me from the band, and so maybe it’s myfaultandsomaybeIshouldjustgobackhomeand—"
Now suddenly, Luke’s breath was coming short again. Without thinking, Reggie grabbed his friend’s arm and when this didn’t catch his attention, though he was hesitant to do it, he caught Luke’s hand in his. Apparently this was it, because Luke at least seemed to be able to pay attention to the other boy now. With Luke’s hand still in his Reggie made sure that his friend was looking at him before he began to speak .
“Luke I want you to hear me when I say this. Firstly, please, try to breathe. Secondly, and I mean no disrespect to your mother or father when I say this, but this is not your fucking fault. Okay? That’s not okay what your mom said. It just isn’t. Yes you made a mistake, but you did not deserve that. She hates your music stuff so much…and for what?
Reggie’s thumb had begun to absentmindedly stroke the top of Luke’s hand, and now as this came to his consciousness he blushed slightly. But with a look at Luke he realized the other boy was peering at him with a strange look on his face, and his cheeks were also slightly red. But, no Luke was probably just embarrassed by what Reggie had said, there was no way it was from Reggie holding his hand, and as if to confirm this belief Luke spoke up, mumbling slightly.
“Thanks Reg you’re a good friend.”
“Of course Luke. Also, we would never kick you out of the band even if you were an hour late. Yeah we might be pissed…but dude? We would never do that to you.”
I would never do that to you.
Nodding his head as if he agreed, Luke instinctively shuffled towards Reggie as if to try and get warm. And fuck, Reggie had forgotten that Luke in all his Luke like dumbassery, was wearing a sleeveless shirt in the beginning of March. Slipping off his fleece, he pressed it into Luke’s hands before the other boy could even protest.
Luke gave in quickly, and as he pulled the jacket around him, Reggie, before he could stop himself, reached up to brush an unruly curl that had been misplaced as Luke pulled the fleece over his head. As he did so both boys froze. And to Reggie’s surprise Luke’s eyes flicked down to his lips briefly. So briefly that Reggie could almost believe he imagined it.
Yet, something was telling him that now was the moment. Carefully he brought his hand from where it had brushed that dark curl away, to rest gently on Luke’s cheek
With that movement of Reggie’s, to place his curl back in place, Luke’s breath caught in his chest, not for the first time that day, but now it was because of something entirely different from gnawing trepidation. The fact that he did not pass out when Reggie not only did not remove his hand, but rested it at his cheek, was a fact that still shocked him.
Beneath the chilly wind of the spring day Reggie’s hand was impossibly warm against his cold cheek.
This can’t be happening… not now. No he cannot like me like this no no NO.
If Luke was going to stop this then he needed to say something.
“Um… I yeah, of course I know you guys wouldn’t kick me out of the band.”
“My brain, gesticulating somewhat wildly Luke pointed at his head, he sometimes likes to act whacked out”
Reggie however was not having Luke’s attempt at distraction, but he did pause, however. There was no fucking way he was doing this if Luke did not want it. Letting his hand drift down to Luke’s shoulders, a neutral position, he posed the question in a neutral voice.
“Can I do this?”
For a moment he was unsure if the other boy was going to answer. Slowly, Luke raised his eyes back to Reggie’s taking a breath to steady himself, he placed his hands over the other boy’s, bringing them back up to his face.
“Yes please.”
And suddenly, that distance that had never been closed before was being closed. For a moment before their lips met there was only hot soft air puffing on each other’s cheeks. Then, Reggie was impossibly close to Luke, his lips on his, incomprehensibly soft.
“About damn time.”
“Shut up.”