Work Text:
“Careful. Not too fast!” Alex cautioned Luke as he helped Reggie into their apartment.
“I’m fine, guys,” Reggie said, then coughed. He winced with the way it made the muscles in his torso twinge, but the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as it’d been.
Alex glared at him. “What part of being in the hospital did you miss?”
Reggie ignored Alex’s sarcasm. “Doctor Grey wouldn’t have discharged me if I was really sick.” He coughed again and sagged against Luke. He was utterly exhausted.
“Almost at the couch, big guy,” Luke said. “So don’t fall over yet, okay?”
“Don’t let him fall over!” Alex threw Reggie’s other arm over his shoulders, even though Reggie wasn’t actually falling. “Do you want him to go right back to hospital?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Reggie’s not going back to the hospital.” He gently dumped Reggie onto the couch.
Reggie leaned, boneless, into the cushions, head resting on the back. “I forgot how comfortable this couch is."
“You’re not warm enough,” Alex announced. He dashed off towards the bedrooms.
Reggie looked at Luke without raising his head. “What’s up with him?”
“He’s been uptight since he came home last night and you were gone,” Luke said. “Might’ve been a good idea if you left a note?”
“I wasn’t exactly expecting to spend the night in hospital,” Reggie said, but he winced. He hadn’t meant to upset anyone. “Was he really worried?”
“You know Alex—” Luke started.
Alex came back into the living room, arms piled high with blankets. “Little help here!”
Luke took a couple of blankets off the pile. “Is that from my bed?”
“You don’t need it as much as Reggie.” Alex pulled off Reggie’s shoes, then wrapped one of the blankets around his feet, placing them gently on the coffee table. Then he took one of the blankets Luke was holding and spread it over Reggie’s body, tucking it around him like he was a small child.
“Thanks,” Reggie said, “but I don’t need you to—”
Alex pulled a hat down over Reggie’s head.
“Is that my beanie?”
“Yes, Luke, it’s your beanie. Because you’re the only one who has winter wear in the middle of Los Angeles. And Reggie needs to keep warm.” Alex spread another blanket over him.
Reggie had begun to sweat under the pile of blankets. “I don’t think I need this many—”
“You took my comforter, too.” Luke was looking at Alex with narrowed eyes.
“It’s August! It’s not like you’re using it,” Alex said sharply. “And Reggie’s sick!”
“I’m not that sick,” Reggie protested. It was awful when Alex and Luke got mad at each other. He hated fighting. “I’ve had a lot of antibiotics.”
“And he’s going to die of the heat!” Luke pulled his comforter off of Reggie. “He doesn’t need three blankets.”
Alex seized at the blanket in Luke’s hands. “Do you want him to get sick again?”
“He’ll get sick from being too hot.” Luke pulled his end of the blanket.
They were literally having a tug-of-war with Luke’s comforter over Reggie’s body. “Guys,” he said. They ignored him. “Guys!” he shouted, then coughed. They both snapped their attention to him. “I’m fine. You don’t need to do all this.”
“You’re sick!" There was a note of panic in Alex’s voice. "Sick people need to keep warm.”
“Not this warm,” Luke muttered. He’d managed to wrangle his comforter back from Alex.
Reggie pulled the beanie off. The cooler air felt amazing against his head. “Seriously, I’m okay.”
“You almost died!” Alex grabbed the beanie out of his hand and jammed it back on his head. “Don’t tell me you’re okay!”
Reggie moved the beanie off of his eyes. “I didn’t almost die.”
“You went to hospital by ambulance, Reggie! What did you think that was about?”
“Flynn got concerned because I was coughing a lot? She wanted to call you guys first.”
“Well, she didn’t, did she?” Alex snapped. “We didn’t find out where you were for hours! And in the meantime, we come home to an unlocked door and smashed dishes everywhere! It was like you’d been kidnapped!”
“It was pretty bad,” Luke agreed.
“Flynn couldn’t find your names in my contacts?” Reggie explained. “She had to wait until I woke up.”
“Well, maybe Rockstar and Drummer Boy aren’t the best names for your emergency contacts.” Alex glared at him. Then his eyes widened. “Wait. Were you were so sick you passed out?”
“What? No! I just fell asleep!”
“I should’ve been there.” Alex’s fingers drummed against his thighs. “I should’ve been here. Instead of going out with Willie.”
Reggie glanced at Luke, unsure what Alex was getting at. “What?”
“He feels guilty he didn’t know how sick you were,” Luke clarified.
Reggie looked at Alex. “You feel guilty?”
“You had pneumonia in both your lungs and I had no fucking clue! Of course I feel guilty!” Alex started to pace beside the couch, fingers tapping.
Reggie followed Alex with his eyes. “But you didn’t know.”
Alex whirled on him. “I know I didn’t know! That’s my fucking point!” He kept walking.
Reggie pulled the beanie off again. “Alex—”
“Don’t try to make this better!” Alex pointed a finger at Reggie. “You almost died because Luke and I didn’t know how sick you were! You can’t make that better!”
“Whoa, slow down, Alex.” Luke crossed his arms. “It’s not like Reggie told us.”
“Because I wasn’t that sick!” Reggie jumped on what Luke was saying. “There’s nothing for you to feel bad about.”
“I should’ve known.” Alex said again. “Flynn shouldn’t’ve been the one to call the ambulance. It should’ve been me or Luke. Not some stranger!”
“True that.” Luke nodded. "You should've said something."
“But I wasn’t that sick!” Reggie insisted to Alex. “How is that your fault?”
Alex flopped down on the couch, forearms on his knees and gaze on the floor. “I don’t know why I didn’t see how sick you were. I can’t figure it out.”
“I didn’t see it, either,” Luke said. “I guess we’re both shit friends.”
Concern rocketed Reggie upright, which made him cough. “Wait. Why do you guys think you’re shit friends?”
“Reggie, you were so sick you ended up on the floor!" Alex said. "And Luke and I didn't even know!”
“Because we’re shit friends,” Luke repeated sadly.
“Oh no. No way!” Reggie unwrapped himself from the blankets. “You guys are not shit friends! You’re excellent friends! I wasn’t that sick!” He coughed and leaned back against the couch, too tired and sore to keep his back straight. “Gah.”
Alex picked up the discarded blankets and wrapped Reggie back in them. “Don’t. You’ll get cold.”
“He’s not cold, he’s sweating,” Luke said.
Alex’s eyes widened. “Is your fever back?”
“I’m fine,” Reggie sighed. “But guys, you got to listen to me. I wasn’t that sick.”
Luke and Alex exchanged a speaking look. “Why do you keep saying that?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, Reggie, going to hospital by ambulance is pretty much the definition of 'that sick',” Alex added. “It’s kind of weird that you keep saying you weren’t.”
“Well, yeah, I was sick,” Reggie said. For some reason the conversation was making his heart beat faster. “But I was fine. Flynn didn’t really need to call an ambulan—”
“—She told us you’d pulled the box of dishes over trying to get off the floor. Because you’d fallen. On the floor.” Alex crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised.
“Falling on the floor isn’t great, Reg,” Luke said.
“I know that,” Reggie said, frustrated. “But it was probably just because I hadn’t eaten in a couple of days.”
“Oh my God.” Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “Reggie, you were sick. Really, really sick. Will you please stop trying to say you weren’t?”
“You did spend the night in hospital,” Luke reminded him.
“I know!” Reggie spat, pulse pounding. “Can’t you guys just leave it?” He coughed again.
Alex stared at him. “Are you seriously getting angry at us because we’re telling you how sick you were?”
Luke was staring at him too. “Reg, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t get sick! I can’t get sick—!” Reggie started, then broke off, hacking.
Alex rubbed his back. “You can get sick. Everyone does.”
“You don’t understand,” Reggie gasped. His eyes were wet, and he wasn’t sure it was just because of the coughing. “I can’t get sick. I just can’t.”
“What do you mean ‘you can’t get sick’?” Luke asked. “Everyone gets sick sometimes. It’s just part of being human.”
“Well, yeah, sure. Other people can,” Reggie said, desperate to explain. He wiped at his eyes with his hands, wishing he understood why he was feeling so out of control.
“But you… can’t?” Alex tilted his head. “Like, a vampire?”
“No!” Reggie shouted, then coughed yet again. He sagged back against the couch. “Fuck. I hate this.”
“Everyone gets sick,” Luke repeated. “And now you’re sick. Which is why Alex and I are taking care of you.”
“But I don’t want you to!” Reggie protested. “Because it’s too much. You shouldn’t have to—” He broke off into yet another coughing fit. Alex rubbed his back again, and despite himself Reggie leaned into the touch.
Luke looked confused for a moment, but then his face cleared. “But Reggie, you know we’ll take care of you,” he said, and his voice was soft with sympathy.
“We want to,” Alex said. “We’ll take care of you. We’ll always take care of you. Because we love you.”
“You don’t need to take care of me,” Reggie croaked. The tightness of his throat had nothing to do with his illness.
“But we really want to.” Alex said again. He wrapped his arms around Reggie, pulling him gently until Reggie’s head was resting on his shoulder. “We want to take care of you when you’re sick.”
“No, you don’t,” Reggie whispered, but he nuzzled against Alex’s shoulder.
“We do,” Luke said. “Because we love you. And that’s what you do when you love someone.”
“My parents never did,” Reggie admitted quietly. He’d never said it out loud before.
He felt Alex stiffen. “I’m so sorry, Reggie.”
“Your parents were the worst,” Luke said. “Fucking bastards!”
Reggie smirked at the vehemence in Luke’s voice. He was feeling calmer now he’d said it: warm and comfortable leaning against Alex. “S’okay. I didn’t really get sick.”
“Or… you did, but you didn’t know it,” Alex said against the top of his head. “Like now.”
Reggie digested Alex’s words. His parents never let him be sick, since they never took care of him when he felt unwell. He went to school no matter how he was feeling. Had he really been sick before and just… not known? “Is this what being really sick is like?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Luke confirmed. “And we would’ve taken care of you if we’d known.”
“Like we’re going to take care of you now," Alex added. "Because we’re family.”
“Thank you,” Reggie said thickly. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you—”
Luke waved him off. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Just, maybe don’t do it again?” Alex asked. “It was fucking terrifying coming home to find you missing and broken dishes all over the floor.”
“I’m really sorry,” Reggie said again. “I promise I’ll tell you next time I’m sick.”
“Even if you don’t think it’s bad. Because I don’t trust you to know if you’re sick or not,” Luke said seriously.
"Me neither," Alex said, equally as serious.
Reggie took a breath. “I promise I’ll tell you, even if I don’t think it’s bad.”
“And we promise we’ll always take care of you,” Alex said.
“Because we’re not your parents,” Luke said.
Reggie blinked at Luke’s words. It was true. Luke and Alex weren’t his parents. They were there for him when he needed them. They were always there for him. The knowledge settled into his chest, warmer than the blankets Alex had wrapped him in. “You guys are my family.”
“Now he gets it!” Luke beamed.
“And Willie,” Alex added. “And maybe Flynn too… if you’re lucky.”
Reggie chuckled. “I need to thank her for helping me.” His words slurred with his exhaustion. He hadn’t slept well because he’d been coughing, and it was like his body wanted to make up for it all at once. He yawned.
“How ‘bout after a nap, big guy?” Luke asked. “You look like you could use it.”
“Don’ wanna make her wait,” Reggie protested weakly. He was so tired.
“Call her when you wake up,” Alex suggested. “Invite her over for dinner if you’re feeling up to it. I’ll make soup.”
“Oh! Julie too!” Luke said happily. “Invite both of them!”
“I will. When I wake up,” Reggie said. All he could think about was sleeping. “I should go t’ bed.”
“You can sleep here,” Alex said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You don’ have to,” Reggie mumbled, already half-asleep. “I can go t’ bed.”
“Let me take care of you,” Alex said softly. “Please?”
Luke carded his fingers through Reggie’s hair in a soothing, repetitive movement. “That’s what families do,” he said, “we take care of each other.”
I have a family, Reggie thought. The idea was as comforting as the blankets tucked around him. He curled his legs up on the couch, head on Alex’s shoulder. “Okay,” he said.
He closed his eyes.
END