Chapter Text
The first thing Reggie noticed when he woke up the next morning was that he wasn’t under the pier. It wasn’t wet or cold or windy. He was on the comfiest sofa he had ever slept on, in someone’s living room…and suddenly it all came back to him. Flynn and Julie and the Molina’s. Watching movies and cuddling on the sofa with his new friends. Falling asleep early and the nightmares. Trembling, Reggie curled up in a small ball under the blankets as he pushed back the memories.
“Reggie, mijo?” He shook violently at the calm voice of Julie’s father, who sounded like he was right beside him. “You’re alright, Reggie. You’re safe now. Your fever spiked badly overnight, but we got it down. Do you remember any of that?’
Reggie shook his head as he dared to sit up on the sofa and look up to meet Ray’s worried eyes.
“I don’t remember any of that,” Reggie croaked.
His throat felt sorer than ever, and Ray wasted no time in handing him a glass of water. His own phone was on the table beside the sofa, displaying many missed texts from the guys checking in on him- and to his surprise the time showed it was already noon on Saturday. It was then Reggie noticed he wasn’t wearing the same shirt that he fell asleep in, nor was he wearing Julie’s flannel…and his bare arms clearly displayed his bruises.
“Oh no,” he mumbled, realizing what happened as panic took over.
Subconsciously, he rubbed his arms over the fading bruises and hugged himself, trying his best to fight back tears.
“Your fever was pretty high,” Ray told him calmly from his seat on the edge of the coffee table. He noticed then the bowl full of water and a wash cloth that was also on the table. “How do you feel now?”
“I…I don’t know.”
Ray had seen everything then. There was no hiding now what was really going on unless he kept lying and…Reggie didn’t know if he had the strength to keep lying. It didn’t feel like he had any strength at all.
“Reggie…can you tell me about the bruises?”
He squeezed his eyes shut but was unable to stop the sob that escaped him. Then the tears wouldn’t stop coming, he cried until he was shaking hard and Ray scooted to sit next to him; when he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, Reggie gave right in and buried his head into Ray’s t-shirt.
“It’s okay, mijo,” Ray whispered as he held him. “It’s okay, let it all out. You’re safe here. You’re safe, Reggie, no one can hurt you anymore. But I need to know who did this to you so I can help make sure you never see that person again.
He stifled his crying as he sat up, sniffling.
“You can do that?” Reggie whispered.
The idea of never having to see his father again was both a huge weight off his shoulder and terrifying. On one hand, there was still a small, naive part of him that felt like his family should still somehow be able to make it work, if only they tried hard enough. But after seeing how loving the Molina’s were, Reggie was beginning to see that if his parents really loved him they would never put him in a situation like this. They’d never hurt him like this.
“I can do everything in my power to make sure of it,” Ray promised. “I only want to help you, Reggie.”
Ray handed Reggie the glass of water for him to sip on, and his eyes fell closed as he relished in how the cool water helped ease the pain in his throat. At last, he took a deep breath and let Ray keep holding him as he confessed everything. He avoided Ray’s eyes all through it as he admitted about his mother running off, his father blaming him, rounding on him, abandoning him. He confessed about living under the pier and how his friends didn’t know.
“Oh Dios mío,” Ray whispered. “I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with this alone.”
“It’s fine,” Reggie lied, “it’s fine I…”
“It’s okay to not be okay, mijo,” Ray told him softly. “I know I wasn’t, after I lost my wife and neither was Julie. We had to learn how to help each other and accept help, it was the only way we made it through. You’re in a scary situation, and it’s okay to need help.”
Shaking, Reggie let out another wounded sob as he let Ray hold him through it and at last he confessed:
“I’m not okay. I need your help, please…don’t make me go back there. Don’t make me see him again. I’m so sorry that I lied, I lied to everyone. I made Flynn lie. I’m so sorry. Please help me.”
The last three words were spoken so softly, so broken that it was painful, but almost immediately it was a huge weight off of his shoulder. Like the glass was beginning to crack and light was beginning to seep through.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” Ray murmured as he hugged him. “We’re going to figure this out together, okay?”
“I didn’t want to be lost in the system,” Reggie admitted.
Ray closed his eyes, as though physically pained by the confession.
“That won’t happen, I promise, mijo. As long as you need a family, we’re here for you. I know we’re still strangers but-“
“I feel safer here than I ever have,” Reggie told him. The dad’s face softened, like the comment must have meant more than Reggie could have ever known. “Any foster care is going to place me with some random family, and I don’t want that…I’d rather stay here. If it’s okay. I don’t even know if it’s possible.”
It was terrifying, admitting what he wanted and needed, but if it was between that or possibly having the police and CPS called on him, that’s what he had to be able to do.
“We’ll figure it out,” Ray promised him. “For now, you can stay as long as you need to and want to. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
Hesitating, Reggie took a moment to breathe and think about how much he wanted to confess about the guys. He always thought it was their right to try to get help or not…but then again look at how long it took him to realize he needed help. What if Luke never realized he needed help?
“One of my friend’s might need help,” Reggie confessed at last, “my best friend. He um…he ran away from home a few months ago. His parents weren’t hurting him or anything but…it wasn’t good. They were fighting all the time.”
He swiped a hand across his face and breathed in sharply, having to cough at the effort it took and the pain in his chest. Ray looked pained at the thought of a child being on their own like that for that long and suddenly, Reggie knew he absolutely did the right thing telling Ray the truth about his own situation.
“Where has your friend been staying?”
“In another friend’s garage,” Reggie mumbled. “His parents aren’t home much. He has a job, though! He has food and stuff. But his parents made him a missing person. Now he’s afraid to go home, he feels so guilty, I know he does.”
“Oh Dios mío,” Ray murmured again, running a hand over his face. With a heavy sigh, he finally went on: “Neither you nor I are going to be able to tell your friend what to do. All we can do is be there for him, in whatever way he needs.”
“I think if he could meet you guys and see what it’s like being in a normal family, it might make him want to talk to his parents again,” Reggie replied. “He thinks he has everything together, but I know he’s scared. He’s trying to wait until he’s eighteen, but that’s still a few months from now, and it’s been so hard.”
“I’m sure it’s been hard on you and his friends too.”
“Yeah,” Reggie whispered, hugging himself. “It has been. It’s been so hard on all of us, and it’s why I was so afraid of saying anything about what happened. I didn’t want anyone to have to worry about taking care of me.”
“You deserve to be taken care of, Reggie,” Ray told him. “We all have our own things we’re dealing with. Just because someone else is going through something doesn’t mean what you’re going through is any less. How do you think your friends would feel if they knew you had been living under the pier and had gotten so sick and didn’t tell them?”
Reggie could just imagine how hurt Alex would be, how scared Luke would be and how angry Bobby would be. Even Willie, who Reggie had only recently met, would insist that if Reggie ever needed help he should let them know.
“I’m so stupid,” Reggie croaked.
“You’re not stupid, mijo, you’re scared. You’re also very sick, and all I want you to focus on today is getting better, okay? Maybe when you’re feeling better, we can invite your friends over for dinner.”
Eyes widening, Reggie realized what Ray meant.
“I can stay even after I feel better?”
Ray smiled.
“Of course. Like I said, you’re welcomed to stay as long as you need to.”
“Thanks, Mr. Molina.”
“Please, call me Ray.”
Reggie managed to offer him a small smile in return.
“Thanks, Ray,” he replied with a sigh. He felt worn out and exhausted, just from the effort of sitting up and talking. But he also felt restless, like he couldn’t just lay there anymore. He was all sticky with sweat and felt awful after the night of tossing and turning and nightmare. “Would it be okay if I took another shower?”
“Of course! Do you feel like you could eat any breakfast? We have some eggs, oatmeal, toast- or I could make you a smoothie.”
Though his stomach growled, Reggie still felt like eating too much of anything would make him feel worse, but more cool liquids sounded like a good idea.
“A smoothie sounds great,” Reggie admitted.
“Excelente! Oh, and I hope you don’t mind your clothes are in the wash.”
His eyes lit up at the thought of having his flannel back, clean and warm from the dryer.
“Thanks!”
It took all of his strength to carry himself up the steps, but he knew it would be worth it for another hot shower. His head was already pounding at the effort it took to move, but it did feel like his fever was a lot better than it was last night. He was afraid to know how high it got. As soon as he approached Flynn’s room she was at her doorway, wearing a cute pair of matching pajama bottoms and top with a bacon and egg pattern. Her nose was still stuffy and red, and her eyes looked tired; she had been up all night too dealing with his fever, he realized miserably.
“Hey,” she greeted, trying to act casual though she looked so scared.
He must have really frightened her with his fever…and the bruises, he realized, as her eyes fell on his arms. Sheepishly, he wrapped his arms around himself in attempts to hide them.
“Hey,” he replied back in a small voice. “I’m…I’m sorry if I scared you last night.”
“It’s okay,” she insisted. “Do you feel better now?”
He nodded, though Reggie still wasn’t really sure how he felt. He was so overwhelmed, almost dizzy, from Ray’s kindness and the thought of being safe. There was just so much he was feeling- disbelief, shock, the pain still, in his chest from being sick and the lingering doubt that it couldn’t just be this easy. Something had to go wrong. But most of all…he felt love.
He felt like he was going to be okay.
“Yeah,” Reggie finally relied, with a smile. "Do you feel any better?"
She smiled as she nodded yes, and he felt relieved.
“You deserve the best," Flynn went on, "and you deserve to have help. So um...I had to tell Ray what you told me. I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he promised.
“It’s only because I care about you! I want you to get help, Reggie. Ray can help you figure this out, you don’t have to be on your own.”
His heart fluttered as he saw how much she truly cared about him. Butterflies danced in his stomach, and suddenly he wished he could hug her again.
“I know,” he admitted quietly. “I told Ray everything. I even told him about Luke- well, I didn’t give away Luke’s name, but I told him about his situation. He told me I can stay here as long as I need. Thank you, Flynn, for bringing me here. You really saved me.”
With that, Flynn’s smile brightened even more and she threw her arms around him. He staggered at first before holding onto her tight.
“You deserve all the happiness, Reggie,” Flynn whispered.
“So do you.”
They broke apart, but still lingered close…so close. Her lips were parted and he licked his subconsciously, desperately seeking the comfort of being closer to her.
“Is it crazy that I want to kiss you right now?” Reggie murmured.
He threw her a sloppy smile and let out a small laugh. He knew they were both still feverish, that Flynn deserved the world and the most romantic dates and a big movie-worthy first kiss, probably somewhere with a pretty sunset. But selfishly, Reggie couldn’t wait another moment. He loved every moment of being near Flynn, and he wanted to show her just how special she was to him.
“No, because I want to kiss you too,” she breathed.
Their eyes met for a moment and they gave each other small nods of permission before their heads tilted ever so slightly toward each other, just enough to initiate a soft kiss as his hands fell to her shoulders and she placed her soft hands over his dark bruises. Flynn tasted of strawberry Chapstick, smelled of vanilla and kissed, appreciating every slow movement as their lips brushed together. As they parted they both smiled, and Flynn confessed quietly:
“That was my first time kissing a boy.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I mean, I’ve kissed girls before,” she bragged, her eyes twinkling, and she admitted: “Guess I should have told you I was bi before I kissed you.”
He let out a laugh, completely relieved as he shook his head.
“I’ve kissed boys before,” he confessed, “I’m also bi.”
They both giggled, and he decided to tell her another time about his and Bobby’s brief attempt at dating, during which Bobby realized that he had no actual desire to date anyone of any gender ever. And the time they played spin the bottle at a party and when his turn landed on Luke, and he didn’t exactly mind kissing his best friend- or heavily making out with him in secret after. Ultimately, they also decided they were better off as friends…friends who made out sometimes. That last year, and now he wanted to be there for Luke now, as only a friend. Now the only person he wanted to kiss was Flynn.
“So we’re both bi disasters,” Flynn mused. “Perfect.”
He laughed again, overwhelmed at how content he felt, how safe he felt.
“Ray’s not going to be mad, is he?” Reggie realized in horror. “If we date?”
Flynn’s eyes dashed toward Julie’s door subconsciously and she licked her lips again before murmuring:
“Trust me, he won’t be mad.”
He realized, without her having to say it, that Julie was who she had kissed before and a smile flashed across his face. Now that he thought about it, Julie and Flynn both were definitely wearing pride bracelets yesterday, he had just been too feverish to notice.
“I’m supposed to be showering,” Reggie admitted, blushing a little, “but maybe I could take you on a breakfast date? Spoiler alert, it will be to your kitchen.”
“A breakfast date sounds amazing,” she gushed.
Reggie wanted desperately to kiss her again, but Flynn was pulling away, her eyes twinkling mischievously as though to say more where that came from later. Then suddenly, she coughed right in his face and her eyes widened with horror that she did that.
“At least you’ve already seen me at my grossest,” she mumbled.
“You’re beautiful,” Reggie utterly softly, and she blushed.
“You’re beautiful too,” she whispered back.
Then she stole a kiss to his cheek, her lips cool against his warm skin, which turned pinker under her touch.
“I’ll see you downstairs,” Flynn smiled.
By that evening, Reggie was feeling much better- and not just because he got to kiss Flynn for the first time. And hold hands with her all day. And cuddle on the sofa with her all day. His fever was down to 99 now, by dinner he was able to stomach toast and eggs along with liquids. Ray seemed to be determined to fill him up with enough food to make up for not eating enough for far too long, and Reggie was perfectly okay with that. By Sunday morning, his fever was gone completely, though he still had his cough and headache, and Ray insisted Reggie stay home another from school. Flynn’s fever was gone by Saturday night and her cough was almost completely gone by Monday, so she unfortunately did go back to school. At first, Reggie had been nervous to be at home with Ray all day, but Monday was the first day he felt like he ever got to truly hang out with a dad. It turned out Ray was as big of a Star Wars geek as he was, and he didn’t mind spending the day with Reggie watching the movies while he kept resting up and taking in all of the soups and teas he could stomach.
Tuesday, Reggie would go back to school and he admitted to Ray he was feeling really nervous about facing the guys. To help, Ray offered to have the guys over for dinner, and he offered to be by his side as he called Bobby.
“You’ve been staying where?” Bobby huffed; he could hear Alex and Luke trying to wrestle him for the phone to talk but Bobby was taking over.
“With Julie Molina’s family,” Reggie stated, wrapping his arms around himself.
Ray placed an arm on his shoulder, and he offered him an appreciative smile.
“No- where did you say you were staying before then?”
Swallowing nervously, Reggie mumbled:
“Under the pier.”
“And your fever got how high?”
“103.5.”
All the boys freaked out in the background, and Reggie hung his head, feeling like the worst friend ever that he hadn’t trusted them.
“Text me Julie’s address, we’re coming over, right now.”
An hour later, all four boys, including Luke- who hid in the back- were on the Molina’s doorstep, glaring at Reggie as he hovered in the front door. He looked at them all with pleading, watery, eyes, and they all clearly knew they couldn’t be mad at him for too long.
“Do not ever do anything like that ever again,” Alex breathed before swooping forward to pull him into a tight embrace.
“I’m so sorry, Lex.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Alex whispered. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you couldn’t tell us.”
Bobby’s eyes glowed with anger when he saw the bruises on Reggie’s arms, even though they were faded to yellow by now.
“If your dad ever dares to step foot in L.A. again-“ Bobby began.
“I’m never going near him again, ever,” Reggie promised.
He hugged Bobby too; his hugs were always softer than Alex’s, gentle, like a mother’s touch and it almost broke Reggie to be held like that by his friend again. Then he broke apart to face Luke, who looked hesitant and scared to be at someone’s house. He had his guitar with him, rested against his back like a security blanket.
“I’m so sorry,” Luke finally choked out. “You put so much effort into helping me, I didn’t realize how bad things were and I’m so sorry.”
They threw their arms around each other, as they had done hundreds of times in their long friendship and Reggie let out a sigh of relief at having his best friend back.
“I’m so sorry I lied to you,” Reggie mumbled. “I was just so scared, and I didn’t know what to do. But I didn’t want you to be worried about me.”
“I’m going to worry about you anyway.”
“We’re always going to worry about you, Reg,” Alex insisted.
“Only cause we care,” Bobby chimed in.
“And we love you,” Luke declared.
He glanced at the living room behind Reggie, taking in its warmth, its colors and the homeliness that was everywhere.
“So, this is your new home, huh?” Luke asked. “I guess they got you a room set up and everything?”
Reggie shrugged.
“We’re figuring it out.”
For now, Reggie still didn’t mind staying on the sofa. Flynn’s dad would be back home that weekend; she wouldn’t have to stay with the Molina’s for another month and insisted Reggie take over her makeshift room.
“This place looks exactly like my house,” Bobby muttered, “without all the hoarding.”
“They’re taking good care of you?” Alex asked, and Reggie nodded.
Luke chewed on his bottom lip, looking hesitant and a little jealous. Reggie had been brave enough to ask for help, and he was getting it. His friend looked so scared, so unsure of what the right thing to do was.
“You guys must be Reggie’s friends,” Ray spoke up behind them suddenly. The guys all jumped and Luke practically dove behind Alex, but Ray only offered them all an assuring smile. “You’re welcomed here any time. We’ve loved having Reggie over- why don’t you all join us for dinner?”
The guitarist’s eyes lit up at the idea of having a proper homecooked meal, and he licked his lips.
“What are you guys having?” He asked sheepishly. “You know…just out of curiosity.”
“Spaghetti, breadsticks and salad. There’s more than enough for more.”
Their eyes all fell to Luke; clearly all of them appreciated the opportunity to have a family dinner at a real kitchen table again, but they knew he would be anxious about being around an adult.
“You haven’t had a proper vegetable in forever,” Bobby pointed out to Luke.
Luke shuffled where he stood.
“Have too! There was broccoli in that TV dinner!”
“You chucked it out!”
“Why don’t you boys come inside?” Ray offered. “You and Reggie can hang out, and you’re welcomed to stay for dinner if you’d like to.”
They all still looked skeptical, but Bobby practically pushed them all inside the house, not one to pass up the opportunity for them all to be fed.
“How’s Willie?” Reggie asked Alex as he took off his shoes.
“They’re okay,” Alex reassured him. “They had a pretty bad argument with their dad, about their future. You know, the usual. But it’s okay now, they went back home.”
Reggie smiled back at him, relieved to hear that. At that moment Julie and Flynn came pounding down the stairs, dressed for dinner, and they both stopped at the sight of all the boys in their foyer.
“Cute boys,” Julie muttered to Flynn, “many, many cute boys. In my house. What. Have. You. Done?”
“Subtle,” Flynn shot back. Then she plastered on a grin. “You guys must be Reggie’s friends! And you’re Luke.”
Julie and Luke were both frozen, Reggie realized, like they were each other’s knight in shining armor.
“She thinks we’re cute,” Alex gushed. Bobby rolled his eyes at him.
“H-hi,” Julie stammered. “What I…what I mean is welcome, to my home. You…you’re Luke.”
“Yeah,” Luke breathed, his hand flying nervously to rub at his neck. “You’re Julie.”
She nodded stiffly, still staring into his eyes like they were officially, permanently, lost in each other’s souls.
“You play guitar?” She observed.
“It’s all he does,” Bobby mumbled.
“And I write songs,” Luke added quickly. “Do you play?”
“Um…I…uh...Flynn?”
She turned to her Flynn for help, and Flynn’s eyes twinkled as they met Reggie’s, knowing their friends had officially fallen for each other.
“She plays piano and writes songs,” Flynn confirmed.
“I don’t!” Julie cut in, explaining to the guys: “I haven’t in a long time. Not since…not since my mom died.”
“Oh,” Luke’s face fell as his eyes landed on the floor. “Um…if you wanted to, I have some songs I’ve been working on if maybe you’d like to look at the lyrics sometime?”
It was kind, not pushy, and Reggie was relieved his friends were making an effort with the Molina’s and Flynn. There was a flash of hope in Julie’s eyes, like she realized that Luke could possibly be her anchor out in the dark, untamed ocean of grief she had been trapped in, and she offered a small nod.
“I have my mom’s instruments,” she blurted out, “her piano and guitars and…I haven’t used any of them, in a long time.”
“I’d love to see them sometime,” Luke offered gently, with a sincere smile. He looked up to Ray next. “Thank you, Mr. Molina, for taking care of Reggie.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Bobby echoed, “I would have but-“
“You don’t have to be the mom friend all the time, Bobbers,” Alex cut in. He smiled and looked back to Ray. “Thanks for helping Reggie."
Reggie took the opportunity to hug Ray again as Luke followed Julie inside, the two already chatting about the music they listened to.
“Thank you, for everything,” Reggie whispered.
“It's been my pleasure to have you here, Reggie,” Ray let out a content sigh as they broke apart and he told them: “It’s been so long since Julie has wanted to talk about music with anyone. You boys must be angels."
Alex lit up at being referred to as an angel, after two years of fighting with his parents over his sexuality and religion. Even Bobby looked almost moved to tears, not that his friend would ever dare to cry in front of strangers.
As they settled around the dinner table, Reggie’s heart had never felt so full as he looked around the at his new found family. Flynn reached for his hand, squeezing it when she saw him looking so overwhelmed with love and gratitude, and they both shared smiles. They started passing the food around, the boys all getting seconds and thirds of everything they could and Reggie noticed how content Ray seemed to look at having a house full of laughter and smiles again.
Then halfway through dinner, the front door opened.
“Hola mi familia! Ray, do I smell spaghetti, again?!”
Ray, Carlos, Julie and Flynn all froze as a woman that he recognized as Julie’s aunt from their photos appeared in the dining room. The guys glanced around, feeling a little caught…though their eyes fell right on the casserole dish she had in her hands and the bag of groceries latched around her arms.
“Is that…chicken and rice I smell?” Reggie asked hopefully.
“Arroz con pollo,” Julie confirmed, wearing a proud smile as though hoping to flatter her aunt, “Tia makes the best.”
Tia Victoria glanced around, startled but attempting to smile at them all, trying to not scare them.
“Ray…what’s all this?”
Ray swallowed nervously as he rubbed his neck and looked up innocently at his sister-in-law as he began to explain:
“So, you know how Rose and I always wanted a big family…”