Work Text:
The duffel bag slid across the table, the hooded figure opposite him looking at it. With a slow hand, the zipper pulled open, light spilling on the contents inside.
“Where the hell did you find this?!”
A pause held the tension in the room for a few moments before Reggie shrugged, voice full of mystery and laughter, “I know a guy who knows a guy.”
Willie looked up at him, eyes wide and glittering in the dim lighting of the back office they were in. “Reginald Peters, did you know I love you?”
Reggie smirked, “Of course. It’s why you chose me to be your chaos twin.”
“That I did. That..I...Did.” Willie beamed and then he stood, zipping the bag quickly. “You ready for this?”
“Born ready, Covington.” He grinned and Willie replied with one of his own before they both slipped out the back door.
******************************************
Reggie stood behind Alex, following just a few feet behind, gripping his slushee cup with too much glee. This was it. He’d finally get to see the look on Alex’s face.
“So, anyways, then Willie decided it was a perfect night to go swimming even though it was like fifty degrees out and he still had six stitches in his forehead—-“ Alex’s story cut off, his push pop lazily melting on to his left hand as his right pushed open the door to the bedroom he shared with Willie.
Reggie only lasted a moment before he squealed, “Alex! You’re turning so red!!”
And he was indeed. His usually soft coloring was burning bright vermillion, eyes darting across the room too quick. Drips of ice cream hit the floor, leaving a small, sticky, purple puddle by Alex’s left sneaker. Oh he’d be pissed about that later.
“I—Wha?....” Alex breathed out, finally turning to look at his friend.
Reggie grinned, slushee cup moving as he gestured around, sloshing against the sides as it was half melted in the California heat. “Willie and I made you a surprise!”
“I can see that.” Alex grumbled and turned back to his room. There were rubber ducks everywhere. There were ducks hanging from the ceiling, scaling the walls in fancy designs, duct taped to Alex’s new skateboard, patterned around the floor in little hearts, and even just a fully pyramid was on top of the bed. The pyramid of ducks had to be at least half of Alex’s height and was clearly super glued together and spray painted a random assortment of blues and pinks and greys.
“Wait, there’s one more!” Reggie hooked his arm through his stunned friend’s and all but dragged him out back to where Alex’s drums had been set up for the party they were throwing later tonight.
“Ta-Da!” Reggie crowed as he waved out towards the drums. The see-through front of the acrylic drums—something new that Alex had been playing with—were full to the top with rubber ducks. Not just any rubber ducks, though. It looked like half of them were pink with snapbacks and the other half had skateboards attached to their wings.
“You...My….” Alex began, but he was once again cut off. Willie’s arms wrapped around him from behind.
“No worries, hot dog. They’re super easy to get out. I’ll help you.”
Alex spun in his boyfriend’s embrace to glare, only to notice the absolute insane number of ducks currently bobbing around the pool. They were band themed, clearly, as some had orange beanies and guitars, a few had leather jackets and basses, and some were purple and glittery with little microphones.
After a moment of pause, Alex spoke decisively, “Caleb is going to kill you. Band merch or not. He’s going to kill you for filling his pool.”
Willie grinned, forehead pressing against Alex’s, “Aw, you won’t even protect me, hot dog?”
“Nope. You covered my room in ducks, Willie.”
“Our room, ‘Lex.”
“Oh good. So not only will I be finding rubber toys in our bed for the next six months but you’ll probably put more in.” Alex deadpanned, but his eyes were soft. He wasn’t mad.
“Maybe I’ll just tattoo one on me. Then you’ll never forget.”
Alex groaned, burying his face into the skin of Willie’s neck, his smile hidden by a curtain of hair. “You’re an idiot.”
“Mhm, but your idiot.” Willie beamed and he shot Reggie a thumbs up over the drummer’s shoulder. Another successful prank.
“Come on…We have to get all the ducks out of my drums to throw them in the pool.” Alex pulled away and headed towards his kit, mumbling about drowning a few dozen ducks.
Willie grinned and followed after, reminding his boyfriend that you can’t drown ducks. Especially not rubber ones
Cleaning the ducks for the next few weeks was annoying, and Caleb indeed was annoyed he couldn’t swim in peace without a few new friends. But in the end, the duck pyramid became a good luck symbol for the band and they brought it to a lot of shows, even though it was large and cumbersome. And if Willie and Alex each kept a single duck—one with a SnapBack and one with a skateboard, respectively—taped to their skateboards for the next few years...well, that’s their own business.