Chapter Text
Reggie was trying to get his little brother to sleep. He had come knocking on Reggie's door the moment the first thunder hit the sky. Reggie adored his little brother but he was a curious child…sometimes too curious.
"So, you love them?" asked Ronnie while flipping through Reggie's song journal, causing Reggie to almost choke on air.
"What?" he asked in a high pitched and trembling tone. "Love who?"
"Lex and Luke, duh," said the little brunette. "You write songs about them and Ray told me that when you love someone all your mind thinks about is them and I guess this means that," the little boy cleared his throat for a more dramatic effect, making Reggie snort a little, before starting to read out loud. "Deep blue eyes full of stars, tan glowing skin just like the sunset light."
Reggie keened, turning as red as the plaid he had on, and almost tackled him to take the journal back. "This is private, Ron. It's rude to go through people's private stuff," he chastised, putting it on the top shelf.
"You are deflecting," Ronnie said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking like the very image of their older brother.
"You really need to stop watching these psychology shows with Ray. How do you even know what deflecting means? I mean, I didn't know until a couple of years ago," Reggie huffed, looking equal parts proud and scared.
Ronnie was about to reply when the faint sound of a guitar could be heard from the outside…of his window.
"Who is crazy enough to be playing guitar when it's raini— oh God, please no," Reggie said before walking towards it, Ronnie on his heels. And yeah, the first thing he saw was Alex and Luke soaked to the bones...serenading him?
He opened the window and stared at them, not very amused. That's when he heard them, even through the rain he could recognize those voices:
"This time, this place, misused, mistakes. Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait?" Luke sang, not tearing his eyes away from the window, before looking at Alex so they could do the next part together.
"Just one chance, just one breath. Just in case there's just one left. 'Cause you know, you know, you know." Both of them felt nervous because it would be the first time they would say the L word to the brunette bassist and mean it in that way.
They took a deep breath and turned back to the window, walking closer to it.
"That I love you, I have loved you all along and I miss you. Been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go. Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore."
Both Alex and Luke couldn't completely make out Reggie's face but they could see he was about to cry. They got worried for a moment but decided to keep going, they were going to win him back, possible hypothermia be damned.
Meanwhile inside the house Reggie had forgotten that he wasn't alone and no, he didn't mean that his brother was with him, he meant his parents. That's why he turned to Ronnie and crunched down to his height
"Hey, buddy, I'm going outside to tell them to leave. Throw something at me if mom or dad come to my room, okay?" He kissed Ronnie's forehead before rushing out of the window with practiced ease.
The moment he landed on the floor he didn't expect to be bombarded with this huge feeling of longing the moment he was face to face with them.
Getting closer, he could listen to them better and the lyrics of the song. They loved him, and they wanted him back.
It was like all his dreams came true with that confession but there was still a part of him that thought 'maybe they are just doing it so we can all be friends again?'. He gulped down and shook his head, trying to get rid of that thought.
Now he could see all the emotions they had passing through their eyes: love, sadness, longing...funny enough, it was everything he had been feeling since that horrible Christmas morning.
Encouraged by the mere presence of the boy, both Alex and Luke gave their all to convey all they were feeling on what was left of the song.
"But you know, you know, you know I wanted, I wanted you to stay. 'Cause I needed, I need to hear you say. That I love you (I love you), I have loved you all along. And I forgive you (and I forgive you), for being away for far too long so keep breathing cause I'm not leaving you, anymore. Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go."
The passion and love they were trying to pour into the song was what made Reggie break down. The last part was like his answer to them but he was afraid, afraid of getting his heart even more broken than it already had.
By the time they were done singing, all three of them had tears in their eyes. Luke and Alex walked closer to Reggie but said boy stopped them with his hand.
"We need you back, Reggie," said Alex while looking at him with those blue eyes that were clearer and warmer than any summer sky Reggie had seen before.
"We do. We need our heart back," Luke said, stepping closer and taking Reggie's hand in his before kissing it softly. "Please," he mumbled in a broken voice.
Alex got closer to them, too, taking Reggie's other hand and smiled softly at him.
"Y-you really mean it?" said the green-eyed boy, looking between the two loves of his life. "You aren't just doing this because you want us all to be friends again?"
At that Alex chuckled and gave Reggie that fond but exasperated look that was reserved just for him… and sometimes Luke.
"I'm standing under the pouring rain, Reginald. If this doesn't tell you I mean it, I don't know what will."
Luke smiled proudly before giving him his smug, lopsided smile.
"And this was my idea so, it's self-explanatory," he said, winking at the bassist.
The smile Reggie gave them before throwing himself at them was one that they would never forget because they were sure it was out of this world.
"I— fuck, I really want to kiss you both so much!" he pretty much squealed, giving them both a last squeeze and peck on each of their cheeks before pulling back and chuckling softly at their expressions. "This… never in my wildest dreams— ok, no, totally in my wildest dreams this would have happened but this is real life! Not a 'Say Anything' scene!" He said running his hand over his hair to pull it away from his eyes.
"Well, you better believe it, baby" Luke grinned, looking at Alex before both of them turned back to Reggie. "'Cause we did it."
"We did and we really need to talk this out," Alex was as excited as the other two but he needed to know how it all would work, what were they going to do.
"I have the perfect place for that!" Reggie looked at Luke with a grin. "Meet me at the moon spot!" He said before running to his bike and leaving without saying anything else.
Alex frowned and looked at the singer "Moon spot? What moon spot and why didn't I know about it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking mildly offended.
Luke chuckled and shook his head. "You'll see, come on!" he took his hand and both went to retrieve their bikes before speeding down the road, Alex following Luke blindly...like he always would do.
Alex breathed in the foggy air and hugged himself tighter. It was dark in here, the moon was shining in its Wanning Gibbous shape.
"So...the moon spot?" Alex said, quirking an eyebrow.
Luke sighed but he was smiling. "Will you relax? Nothing happened. We just came here to watch the eclipse. Actually, Reggie used that private moment between us just to ask me about you," Luke explained, hands deep in his pockets.
Alex frowned but then he softened.
Luke grinned. "It's funny to see you of all people jealous," he mocked.
"Yeah, ha-ha. I shouldn't be, Luke," Alex retorted. "Isn't that the whole point of this? God, I don't even know what we're thinking. This is crazy—"
"What's crazy?" Alex heard from their side.
Somehow, all Alex's fears flew away at the bright pink of Reggie's cheeks.
But Reggie was fidgeting with his fingers, looking between them. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, fear reeking through his tone.
Luke jumped to his side. "No," he said, calmer. "You'd never interrupt anything," he assured Reggie.
But Alex felt air catching up his throat and he knew, he knew it was his anxiety acting up.
"Luke, we have to talk about this—"
"No, Alex, okay? What did we just agree on like an hour ago? We want this. You want this," Luke said, turning from Reggie to him. "Look at me in the eyes and tell me you don't," he dared.
Alex swallowed thickly, lost in the fire of Luke's eyes. God, he never met a more stubborn person.
And thank the Lord.
Because Alex gave in, and looked at Reggie instead, taking careful steps. "Fine. But I need to do something. Something that will make me remember why this is totally worth it," he began saying, closing the distance between them.
Between him and Reggie.
Reggie parted his lips as if on queue, in something akin to awe, and Alex almost felt sad because he wanted to do that with his tongue instead.
He imagined this a thousand times but none of them made justice to reality, to the way Reggie's neck felt under the tip of his fingers.
To the gasp that escaped Luke's mouth when Alex pressed his mouth to Reggie's right in front of him.
Alex sucked on Reggie's lips, tapping with his tongue at his bottom lip, and savored him in. He tasted like tears and apple juice; Reggie through and through.
Alex let him go with a deep inhale and a smile on his face. He felt lighter.
Reggie opened his eyes slowly. "You-you kissed me. Alex kissed me," Reggie spoke, turning his eyes to Luke standing by Alex's side.
"I know. I saw," Luke replied, his mouth hanging wide in a smile.
"You're not mad at me?" Reggie still asked.
Luke chuckled. "Reggie, trust me, mad is the last thing I am right now."
Reggie actually laughed a full teeth laugh at Alex's face and Alex thought that was his new favorite song.
"Was it as good as it looked?" Luke asked Alex once he took a tiny step back.
"Go ahead and find out," Alex lured.
There was something ridiculously hot about pulling Reggie's hand to push him towards Luke.
Alex thought he was now surely buying his ticket to hell. Perverted and deviant. Pushing a guy into your boyfriend's arms so they would kiss. 'You're so goddamned sick, Alexander', a better version of himself would say.
But Alex didn't really give a shit.
Deep down he's known he's wanted to watch Luke and Reggie kiss since the first time they dared to share one stupid mic and splashed each other's saliva at their faces while singing.
Hell, he even held his own breath more than a couple of times.
So, when Luke absolutely ravished Reggie's mouth with his, having to hold his back with both hands so Reggie wouldn't fall at the sheer force of Luke's demanding rapture, Alex felt his head go dizzy.
There was something hot, sure, about all this. But there was something even sweeter at the idea that Luke was tasting the same apple juice he just did, that Reggie had just less than an hour ago.
Something dearly loving about them sharing their happiness like this. So intrinsically, so naturally.
Alex put a hand on both of their shoulders, not to stop them, but to ground himself from falling to tears at how full he feels.
Luke dropped Reggie's mouth with a wet sound and Alex thought that was his newest favorite song. "Feeling a little neglected? I got it…"
Luke moved his chin to suck on Alex's lips and they're all so close Alex only smells Reggie's cologne and feels Luke hammering heart on his chest.
When they part again, Reggie's looking at them mute, his face serene.
"What?" Alex wondered, suddenly worried.
"I just— have this feeling…"
"Like what?" Luke tried, his hand flying to the back of Reggie's neck.
"That I belong," he added, his eyes shining. "I didn't think I would."
Alex pulled them closer with each arm. "Well, you do, you big dork," he said, and he kissed his nose.
Then Luke kissed his nose.
Then they both kissed Alex's nose.
And before they knew it, they were all kissing again and falling on the grass. Laugh and kiss and nibble and touch and laugh again.
"And you'll never get rid of us now," Luke warned, resting his face to Reggie's collarbone.
Reggie adjusted his head under Alex's chin and Alex threw his arm on top of him, to hold them both.
"I wasn't planning to, either."
Alex smiled and he looked at the stars above them.
Yeah, they shone bright, alright. But the stars had nothing on them.