Chapter Text
They were okay, they were totally okay. No awkwardness at all and he was glad for it, because that's what Alex wanted...right? For it not to damage anything between him and Luke, for it not to fuck up the band.
So why on earth did it make him so anxious to see Luke just going about his day, working full-on on the band? (And that was great! Awesome, even!)
Yet it bothered him. Just slightly.
Just slightly enough to make him be so far in his head that he didn’t realize that Bobby was calling out to him until a paper ball hit him in the head.
“Hey! What was that for?!" Alex asked, a bit annoyed.
His only answer was Bobby pointing at the boy that had just entered the garage.
Right...they were in the middle of auditions for a bass player.
“Uhm, hi- hello,” Alex said, gathering himself. Luke had just left to get them a few bottles of water.
“Hey, my name’s Reginald. Reginald Bernstein —not related to Leonard Berstein, though— but my friend’s call me Reggie. Or they did, back in Cape May,” the guy said with a chuckle.
Alex and Bobby exchanged a look. “So...you’re from Jersey?” Alex asked, like that’s even relevant and the guy blinked at him, his smile faltering a little.
“Yeah, I— uhm, I sit behind you, in math,” he said, awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I introduced myself a couple of weeks ago…” he explained and Alex completed the puzzle.
“Oh, yeah, yeah, you were the one who wouldn’t shut up,” Alex blurted without thinking but the guy just nodded with a smile.
“Yes, that was me,” he said. “Anyways, I talked to your leader—”
“He’s not our leader,” both he and Bobby said in unison.
The guy moved his eyes around the room, like he’s not quite buying it but then he said: “Well, I told him I shred on the bass.”
Alex thought he had the fashion sense of a bassist alright, but there was something about the pale yet slightly-pink cheeks and the unassuming smile on the guy’s face that screamed anything but a rockstar.
Alex’s about to speak when the source of his latest unrestful nights takes presence again.
“Oh, I’m right on time— hey, Reggie,” Luke said, coming into the garage and patting the guy on his shoulder. “Thanks for coming,” Luke added, and he’s all smiley dimples and Alex’s really not bothered by that.
And that unsettled him.
“Did you get the water?” Bobby asked Luke. He was getting some skin treatment for his acne and now he’s always thirsty.
Luke stopped smiling at the new kid in town and turned to throw them the water bottles.
Alex wasn’t prepared to catch it, so it fell with a thud and knocked their “Auditions” sign over.
He turned to glare at him just a little annoyed and Luke looked down like he was a kicked puppy. He did that a lot lately.
It’s not supposed to be hard, Alex kept reminding himself. And it really wasn’t, it’s just a little awkward.
So Alex just sighed and stood up to grab the bottle from the floor, arranged the sign, and then sat back down again. Luke just walked over to the other side of the room, Bobby sitting between them, permanently unaware.
Alex took a strand of hair off his forehead and looked at the new guy. “Alright, Reginald,” he called for him, making an amused face. “Show us what you got.”
Okay...Reggie was awesome . Luke couldn't believe it; when Reggie told him he could play bass, Luke told him about the audition because he could see how excited the blue-eyed boy was but now he was so glad that Reggie told him.
"You're in!" Luke said without even waiting for the others to say anything. "You are awesome , dude," he exclaimed, almost vibrating in his spot behind the table.
Bobby and Alex were looking at him in exasperation but he ignored them, choosing to just stare at Reggie while said boy just smiled the sweetest and cutest smile ever— wait...where did that come from?
He was glad that Alex got his attention back on track before he went down that train of thought and he sighed at the blond's expression.
"Wait for us here, Reggie. This will only take a sec," Alex smiled at him reassuringly, before going out to the back of the garage and out of ear-range with the other two.
"Okay, why are you two acting like this?" Luke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Maybe because you didn't ask us before accepting him into the band?" Alex asked rhetorically as if it were obvious.
"Dude, we are part of this, too, even if we do agree that he is the best of the bunch we've seen today," said Bobby, calmer than Alex.
Luke sighed and nodded, he was just excited, he couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry, I know I did wrong but we need him," he said, shrugging. "And I know he blew both of your minds. Alex, you were even staring with your mouth open!" Luke chuckled at the indignant noise that came out of the blond.
"Yeah, yeah, he is great, but really, this needs to stop," Alex told him, all seriousness. "It's already bad enough that Reginald thinks you are our leader," he added, his tone unamused.
Bobby chuckled at that and shaking his head in fond exasperation grabbed both of their wrists to tug them back in.
"Come on, we need to give our new bassist the good official news," Bobby said, making his way back inside with the other two.
After that, everything seemed to fall into place with the four of them. It was like Reggie was meant to be with them from the start. He clicked with all three of them like he was literally what could keep them together if things ever hit a rough patch.
Everything changed for the better when after months of knowing him, Alex came out to him. It was one of the days that both of them were alone, practicing. Luke was grounded because of a prank he had pulled on their history teacher and was suspended for three days and Bobby was on an emergency trip with his parents.
"Hey, Regs. Can I ask you something?" he asked, fidgeting with his drumsticks.
Alex was nervous. He hadn't told anyone about it, besides Luke but he doesn't count. He couldn't tell Bobby because, well, he was kinda narrow-minded but Reggie…Reggie has shown to be like this puppy that's a bit dumb yet loyal and smart at the same time and it made Alex feel like he could be trusted.
Reggie looked up from his bass when he heard the tone Alex was using and nodded.
"Yeah, sure," he said with a small smile. "Is everything okay?"
Alex gulped and nodded. "Yeah, yeah just...curiosity," he chuckled nervously. "What…would you say if— if I told you I...like guys?" he asked, the last bit more of a whisper than anything else.
"Sorry, I didn't catch the last part," said Reggie, going to sit closer to him.
"I said I'm gay , Reggie," Alex replied, a bit exasperated with himself.
Reggie stared at him for a moment before smiling.
"Cool!" Reggie said, wrapping his arm around the blond boy. "I have an uncle that's gay and he's awesome! You are awesome, Alex," Reggie didn't stop smiling while hugging him from his side.
"I don't think this is working."
Alex remembered vividly how quiet his voice had sounded. He also remembered how Luke's eyes traveled for a complete second like he didn't know what Alex meant before he knew too well.
Luke hadn't pleaded, he hadn't even asked why, even though Alex had prepared thoroughly his list of reasons. But Luke had acted like he didn't care that much.
He only forgot to tell his face that.
Alex thought of that dreadful afternoon when he stared at the calendar and noticed: it's been three months already.
But when Alex saw Luke at school just before their new semester started, Reggie clinging to his side like he's done lately because they live close to each other, Alex realized he wasn't hurting.
He actually smiled at them.
Later on, in their trigonometry class, Luke handed him back his pink sweater. "I know I should've given it to you ages ago, but— well," he trailed and Alex figured the rest of his sentence.
Luke had held onto him in a language that Alex hadn't learned how to speak.
"You don't have to give it back if you wanna use it. I can always just get a new pink hoodie," Alex assured him with a carefree shrug.
"No, no. It's yours. I think— I think it's right...Right?" Luke replied, doubtful.
Alex moved his eyebrows like he's at a loss of ideas, too.
He never had an ex-boyfriend before.
"Yeah, yeah," Luke said, deciding for them and then he shoved the sweater into Alex's hands.
"Oh, I didn't know we could borrow each other's clothes," Reggie spoke in a whisper all of the sudden, coming in to sit behind them. "If that's the case, then, Luke, can you lend me your dark blue plaid for our next gig?" he asked, bending upwards to look at Luke.
Alex and Luke exchanged a look before they broke down to chuckle.
"Sure, Reggie," Luke said, after a breathy laugh.
Reggie gets under your skin so fast you can barely notice how. A subtle touch packed with the blasting energy of a rapid fireball.
He was excitement and rush and hyper-verbalism that filled up the quietest of rooms.
He was bright smiles and dumb jokes and an ADHD-consumed talent at playing bass.
So when Luke noticed that light dimmed down since a few weeks ago, he knew something was up.
"Hey, Reg, you okay?" he asked quietly after the practice was over and Bobby was the first to leave and Alex followed not long after.
He held the blue-eyed boy by his forearm and Reggie looked split between playing it cool or crying on the spot.
"I'm not having the best time at home," Reggie ended up saying, with a light-hearted chuckle but sad eyes.
"You wanna talk about it?" Luke offered, rolling his hand up Reggie's arm, soothing.
Reggie's eyes were glued to the floor, like he was considering it.
Luke licked his lips. "Or we can do something else. Get your mind off it," he tried instead and Reggie's head moved up.
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's better," he muttered but he still looked down.
Then Luke remembered: "Hey, I rented Empire Strikes Back," he said, his eyebrows curving.
With that, Reggie's entire face lit up, his wide smile coming back.
And if Luke dreamt of faint freckles and crooked teeth later that night, he figured it would make a great song.
Alex banged hard on his drums while they practiced for a gig they have on the weekend and it was so loud Reggie couldn't hear the voices in his head.
When inevitably they stopped, all three of them turned to Alex.
He was breathing heavily and his eyes flew to Luke fast, wide and shiny. Then he bolted like a goddamned gazelle.
Luke ran after him after a split minute, leaving his guitar on the couch. And Reggie moved quickly on his feet to do the same, but Bobby pressed his hand on his elbow, stopping him.
"Hold there, Reg," he said, looking worried.
Reggie frowned. "But Alex…"
"Luke's got him, okay? Trust me, those two understand each other in ways you never will," Bobby explained in good nature.
But Reggie hated every bit of how that sounded.
"I'mma head out to buy some snacks, do you want anything?" Bobby asked him, putting his guitar aside.
"Oreos, please?" Reggie replied with a small smile. "Do we have peanut butter here? We should totally get some," he added, giving Bobby some money.
With that Bobby left and Reggie was left there, anxiously waiting for the other two to come back.
Not even five minutes later, Reggie was following the path Alex and Luke took, and he found them right away but not exactly how he had expected or even foreseen.
Luke was holding Alex's face between his hands, while the blond was stressed, crying, and babbling.
Gulping, Reggie got closer so he was able to hear better.
"Hey, it's okay. Calm down, babe," mumbled Luke, stroking Alex's wet cheeks gently. "They won't do anything to you. I can only imagine how bad it is for you to be like this but you need to calm down."
"I can't calm down, Luke! They can't even look at me in the eyes. I feel like a ghost in my own house!" Alex replied, his voice a few octaves higher because of the anxiety he was feeling. "What if they knew when we were together? What if that's why mom didn't like it when we went to my room to study?"
Reggie was left speechless by that sentence. So… Luke and Alex used to date. Why did that make him feel weird? Don't get him wrong, he doesn't have anything against gay people, to him they were awesome, but knowing that his friends had that kind of connection made him feel odd.
Like Bobby's sentence: it was something beyond Reggie's understanding.
It felt like he didn't belong. Like he was being left out.
So, at that moment, he decided to leave. He went back to the garage and took his stuff. Wrote a note saying that he had to leave early and took off on his bike.
Reggie felt like his chest was in pain and he wanted to scream and cry but the question was why?
To be honest, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know the answer.