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“Has Reggie seemed weird to you lately?”
Alex looks up from his book at Willie, unimpressed. “Reggie’s always weird.” The two of them are cuddling in the studio, enjoying a rare moment of peace while Alex reads and Willie sketches. “If you look up ‘weird’ in the dictionary there’s a picture of Reggie.”
Willie rolls their eyes. “I meant weirder than usual.”
Alex closes his book and sets it aside. “How so?”
“He’s been really… I don’t know. Flirty.”
“Again,” Alex deadpans, “look up ‘flirty’ in the dictionary—”
“Shhhhhhhhh.” Willie paws at Alex’s face. “It’s been a different kind of flirty.”
“As opposed to?”
“It’s usually a joke,” Willie says. “Like, if you compliment him, he’ll say ‘thanks babe’ or something like that. But lately it’s been… unprovoked. It feels more real.”
“So you think he’s into you?” Alex asks, only half sarcastic.
“Both of us,” Willie corrects him. “I think he’s into both of us. He’s been doing it to you too. You haven’t noticed?”
“I don’t know,” Alex says. “Like I said, Reggie’s just like that. He doesn’t seem any different than usual to me.”
As if they summoned him, Reggie appears at the garage door. “Hey, cuties.”
Willie shoots Alex a look as if to say, See?
Reggie saunters in, and instead of taking any of the many open seats available, he flops down right across Alex and Willie’s laps. “What’s up, buttercups?”
Still, Alex thinks, this is standard Reggie behavior. “Willie thinks you’ve been acting weird.”
Reggie blinks up at them. “I’m always weird.”
“Flirtier,” Willie specifies. “Flirtier than usual. With us, specifically.”
“Oh, good!” Reggie chirps. “You finally noticed.” He gives them an expectant grin. “So…?”
Alex and Willie return two blank looks. “So…?” Willie repeats.
“So…” Reggie speaks slowly, as if they’re the dumb ones. “Will you guys go out with me?”
“What?” Alex shrieks. “What about Nick?”
It’s Reggie’s turn to give them a blank look, apparently. “What about Nick?”
“He’s your boyfriend,” Willie reminds him.
“Oh!” Reggie says. “Yeah, we broke up.”
“What?” Alex squeaks again. “When?”
“Like three months ago.”
“Dude!” Willie says. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I thought you guys knew!” Reggie says. “We stopped acting all coupley and stuff.”
“But you guys still go out all the time,” Alex says.
Reggie gives Alex another look as if he’s the slow one. “Because we’re friends?” When Willie and Alex continue to gape at him, he continues, “You and Luke are exes and you guys still go out together all the time. It’s not that weird, guys.”
“Are you, like, okay?” Willie asks. “I mean… he was your first boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah,” Reggie shrugs. “It was super chill. Extremely mutual.”
“Right,” Alex mutters. “So chill that apparently you never thought to tell us.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Reggie argues. “The whole relationship was, like, puppy love, you know? Neither of us had dated a guy before, and we were both there, and available, and into dudes, and cute. So why wouldn’t we date?”
Willie starts to argue “But–”
“Guys,” Reggie cuts them off. “I’m fine. It’s been three months. I’m way over it. Especially considering I’ve spent two of those months trying to get you two to realize that I’m, like, in love with you.”
“Love?” Alex yelps. “Reggie, how long have you been into us?”
“Consciously? Since two months ago when Nick said we’d make a cute throuple. Unconsciously…” Reggie takes a moment to actually think about it, then points to Alex. “Since our playground wedding in sixth grade.” He points to Willie. “Since you set off those cop cars and let those skaters go free.”
“Dude,” Willie says, “that was the first time we met.”
Reggie just shrugs, smile never leaving his face.
“Okay,” Alex breathes. “Hang on.” He pushes Reggie off his lap and gets up to pace. “I just need to reevaluate every interaction I’ve ever had with you.”
For the first time, Reggie’s smile falters. “Oh. I thought— um, did I misread this?”
“No!” Alex and Willie yell in unison. Well, there’s the how do we feel about Reggie question answered.
Willie chuckles and wraps an arm around Reggie’s shoulders. “I think Lex and I just need a minute to talk it over, you know, for his peace of mind. You know how he is with change.”
Reggie’s smile returns, softened by sympathetic understanding. “Gotcha. I’ll go hang out with Flynn and Julie until you’re ready for me.”
“Thanks, Sparky.” Willie squeezes Reggie’s hand, then lets him stand.
Reggie goes towards the door, but Alex catches his arm. “Wait, Reg.”
Reggie turns to him, all bright eyes and affection. “Yeah?”
Alex hesitates, rocking backward before pulling Reggie into a tight hug. “Love you.”
He can feel Reggie grin against his shoulder. “Love you too, Lexi.” He gives Alex a peck on the cheek, shoots a wink at Willie, and skips out the door.
As soon as he’s gone, Willie reaches for the phone Tía forces them to carry. They start typing, brow furrowed and tongue poking out like they always do when they’re focused. It’s adorable.
“What are you doing?” Alex asks.
“Texting Nick.” Willie’s phone dings, and he types some more. “Don’t want to break the bro code.”
“Does the bro code apply if you’re not a bro?”
“How dare you,” Willie gasps, looking up at him. “I may not be a man, but don’t you dare insinuate that I am not the most upstanding bro.”
“Will you ever forgive me,” Alex deadpans. He drops onto Willie’s lap. “What does Nick say?”
Willie turns the screen to show him.
“So I think that counts as his blessing,” Willie says.
“I’d say so,” Alex agrees. He takes Willie’s hand, running a thumb over their fingers. “So, are we really doing this? Adding Reggie to our relationship?”
“I think so.” Willie gives him a surprisingly nervous smile as they brush Alex’s hair out of his face. “Are you okay with that? Or… I mean, you’re not mad, right? That I like him back?”
“No!” Alex rushes to reassure him. “I mean, it would be pretty hypocritical if I was, right? I mean I guess I didn’t really know I liked him until, like, right now ‘cause I always just thought… he’s Reggie, you know? I kind of just took for granted that he was the most important part of my life but—”
“Hotdog,” Willie cuts him off with a chuckle. “You’re spiraling.”
“Sorry,” Alex says, cheeks heating up. “So, um. Yeah. I’m not mad at you, and I think I like Reggie, and if you like him too, then I think we should date him.”
“That was fast,” Willie teases. “I thought we would be talking this out for an hour at least.”
Alex shrugs. “Like I said, he’s Reggie, you know? And you’re you, and… and I really love you guys.”
“I love you too,” Willie grins, pressing a kiss to his nose. “Should we go find him?”
“No need,” Alex says. “He’s eavesdropping outside the door.”
A muffled voice calls from outside the garage, “How did you know?”
Alex smirks. “My Reggie senses were tingling.”
Reggie pokes his head through the door. “Is that what you call it?” He shoots Alex an overexaggerated wink.
Alex rolls his eyes. “Get in here, dork.”
Reggie skips over and flops back down into their laps. “So…?” he asks, the perfect mimic of when he asked earlier.
Willie and Alex share a smile.
“We’d love to go out with you,” Willie says.
Reggie’s smile grows so big it must hurt, and he starts wiggling like a dog with too much excitement to contain to just their tail. “Yes! Can I kiss you guys now? I really really want to kiss you guys. I’ve been waiting forever.”
Alex nods and Reggie reaches up to grab his face. Before their lips can connect, however, Willie calls out, “Wait.”
They both turn to him and he turns away blushing. “Before we… you know, do anything… I have to ask. You’re chill with me being ace right? And that I don’t want sex?”
Reggie takes Willie’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Of course, babe.” The pet name sends a shiver through both Willie and Alex, even though it’s only directed at one of them. “Would you be chill with me and Lexi doing some not very ace things together?”
Alex let out a strangled sound, his ears burning bright red at the thought of doing not very ace things with Reggie.
“Yeah,” Willie chuckles, “that’s chill. We can talk about boundaries and stuff later. Right now just get over here and kiss me.”
Reggie lunges into the kiss, smashing their lips together. Alex watches, awestruck. He feels like he should maybe be jealous seeing his best friend kiss his boyfriend, but all he feels is… content. Maybe there’s a bit of yearning, but it’s yearning to join in, or to watch them like this forever. The fact that they’re both his boyfriends now, that he gets to kiss them—or watch them kiss— whenever he wants… it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
When they’re finally sated, Willie pulls back from the kiss with a giggle. “I think Hotdog is feeling a little left out there, Sparky.”
Another choked-out sound escapes Alex’s throat. “I mean—”
In the blink of an eye, Reggie is straddling Alex’s lap, arms around his neck, grinning down at him. “Hey, Lexi.”
Alex gulps. “Hey, Reg.”
Reggie leans forward, his lips stopping just short of brushing Alex’s. He hadn’t realized Reggie was such a tease.
“What do you say, babe?” Reggie asks. “Ready to make Luke’s worst nightmare come true?”
“Okay.” Alex groans and rolls his eyes. “Don’t talk about Luke right now.”
“What should we talk about instead?”
“Nothing,” Alex says. “There’s something much better we could be doing with our mouths right now.”
Reggie smirks, getting just a smidge closer. “Oh yeah? Why don’t you show me?”
Alex can’t hold back any longer. He grabs Reggie by the back of the head and crashes their lips together. It’s different than kissing Willie, but just as good in every way. Where Willie is sweet and tender, Reggie is full of energy and passion. They both seem to like being in control of the kisses, though, and Alex is absolutely not complaining about that.
“Wow,” Alex breathes when Reggie finally pulls away. The kiss could have lasted a second or an hour; Alex has lost all concept of reality outside of these two people.
“Yeah,” Reggie agrees, just as breathless. He slumps down against Alex’s chest and reaches for Willie’s hand. “We’re gonna be the best throuple ever.”