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reggiebabe · 2 years

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underwater

Reggie Peters was used to fighting. His parents did it frequently enough, and loved to make him a part of it. So that he had gotten used to. But seeing Alex and Luke get into an argument? That was new for him. So, he did what any sane person would do. He ran.

Ever since they performed in the Orpheum, the Molinas had gotten dozens of calls trying to book their band. This left them all thrilled, as they were finally getting the recognition they had been craving since the boys first formed Sunset Curve. This meant Luke was writing songs like crazy and they were spending practically all of their time rehearsing. Not that it mattered to Reggie, Luke, and Alex. They literally had all the time in the world.

When Julie was at school, that typically gave them time to figure out the newest chords and rhythms for their freshly written lyrics. This was fun, as they could do lots of experimenting, but could be so frustrating when they weren’t on the same page. And right now, they were not on the same page.

Alex had missed his queue the last few times they had run through the song. While Reggie wasn’t bothered by this, he could see how Luke was steadily growing more frustrated. Despite how out of touch with things he may seem, he could read his band like the back of his hand. So, he decided to mention it.

“Alex, what’s up with you?” Reggie asked, turning to face the drummer.

He shrugged, shaking off whatever zone he was in. “Nothing, just a little distracted. Let’s go again.”

“This is the third time we’ve had to start over, Alex.” Luke chimed in, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” He challenged.

“What are you even thinking about anyway?”

“Why does it matter? We can just try again.”

Luke raised his eyebrows. “It’s Willie, isn’t it?”

“Why do you care?” Alex spat back.

Luke shrugged trying to look casual. “I don’t.”

“Obviously, you have some sort of problem. So, go on. Let’s hear it!” Alex stood up, practically challenging Luke.

Despite the fact that Luke and Reggie were fairly tall, Alex easily had a few inches on the both of them. And Reggie was never more aware of that fact than right now, as Alex stared down Luke. He clutched his bass closer to his chest. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

It was okay. It was just a normal argument between friends. Nothing bad was going to happen. He took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. Alex and Luke would never, ever hurt him. At least not intentionally. But it made him think of all the times before, when the shouting led to worse things.

“It seems like all you’ve been doing is thinking about Wille!” Luke slid off his guitar and set it on the stand so he could focus all his attention on Alex.

“That’s not true!”

Luke scoffed. “Of course it’s not. Sometimes you sleep.”

“Oh, well if you want to start with that-” Alex threw his sticks against his drum, making a loud clattering sound that only punctuated his frustration.

Reggie momentarily blacked out. That sound brought back memories. And not the good kind. Broken beer bottles. Slammed doors. Loud smacks. Alex’s drumsticks were supposed to represent safety. That’s what this band has been to him. What these people have been to him. And now his anxiety riddled brain couldn’t separate the two.

When he started paying attention to the conversation again, Alex was the one attacking Luke. “Well, it’s not my fault all you care about is this band!”

“This used to be all you cared about, too!”

“And then we died, Luke! We get a second chance at life and you are spending it being holed up in this garage!”

Luke threw his hands up and gestured to all of the instruments around them. “We came back to play music!”

“Oh, enough of that. You’re just too scared to do anything else!” Alex told him stepping closer to Luke, so they were face to face.

Luke glared angrily up at him. “Get out of my face.”

“No.”

“Really? You want to do that?” Luke stepped back, raising his eyebrows.

Alex stepped closer to Luke telling him, “I want you to actually listen to someone other than yourself for one goddamn second!”

That was the breaking point. Reggie could see what was going to happen a split second before it did. Luke reached out and pushed him. It was hard enough that Alex hit his back against the wall of the garage. The boys had fought before, obviously, but it had never gotten this heated and never gotten violent.

Reggie didn’t want to stick around and see what would happen. He dropped his bass back into it’s case and poofed away before they could turn onto him. He knew how this worked. It didn’t matter that they were mad at each other. It always came back to how Reggie could do better. Be better. Be anything else.

He learned to take it from his parents, but Luke and Alex? Hearing it from them would be unimaginable.

Once he was gone, he was struck by the fact that he had no idea where he had to go. He normally would go to the Molina’s, but that was not an option at this point. He didn’t want to see Julie and have to explain all of this to her. He thought it was too close to the garage and he didn’t want the boys to stumble across him. But most importantly, he didn’t want to see Ray. Normally, he adored the man and liked to talk to him around the house. But he couldn’t do it now. Not with the memories of his own dad fresh in his brain.

So, he went to the beach. Back when they were alive, he used to sneak out the window and head here when the fighting between his parents got too loud. So, why wouldn’t it work now? He sunk down into the sand and stared out at the waves.

He knew he was being dramatic. He had seen them joke rougher than this before. But they hadn’t had any disputes since all of the dying stuff happened, so he guessed it was because he was a little on edge. But he couldn’t help but think… was he being dramatic? Was this it between them?

He never had to deal with a divorce between his parents. While most times he definitely wished they would separate, he was grateful that he didn’t have to pick between them. But here? He would have to choose sides. And he couldn’t do that with Luke and Alex. They were all he had left.

Despite how much effort he put into trying to calm himself down, it wouldn’t work. His brain kept jumping between being afraid that he was going to be the next one pulled into an argument or being completely on his own in this scary new life. He hadn’t had a panic attack since he was about fourteen, but you know what they say. No time like the present.

He tried desperately to hold onto air, but the loud voices rattling around in his brain made that almost impossible. He squeezed tightly around his middle, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to drown everything out. Hot tears leaked out of his eyes.

He felt a hand on his back. “Reggie?”

His eyes shot open, and he scrambled back as fast as he could. “Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.”

“Reg, look at me.”

Once his vision cleared and his heart slowed down, he could focus on the two figures in front of him – Luke and Alex. Luke was crouched down in front of him, while Alex stood behind, chewing his thumbnail anxiously.

“Luke? What are you doing here?”

“We noticed you were gone and got worried. What happened?”

Reggie ignored the question, instead asking. “How did you know to look here?”

Alex just gave him a look. “You’ve been coming here since you were a kid when you were upset. We would be pretty bad friends if this wasn’t the first place we showed up to.”

After a few moments of silence, he began to admit, “You guys… you…” He tried to explain, but he couldn’t get the words out. How was he supposed to tell them what happened? How they made him feel?

“Oh my God. The fighting.” Luke’s face dawned with realization. “How did we not realize?” Alex looked equally as ashamed.

Reggie hated this. He hated how careful they were being with him. He felt, and probably looked, like a wounded animal. He thought about standing up, brushing off his pants, and putting on a fake smile, but based on the looks they were giving him, he wasn’t going to be able to get away with that.

“Okay.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Is this… about your parents?” Luke asked, more hesitant than Reggie had ever seen him.

After a few seconds, he nodded. Luke sighed and hung his head. “Reg, we aren’t going to hurt you. I am not going to hurt you. I should’ve never pushed Alex and you should’ve never had to see that.”

“It’s fine.” He muttered.

“No, it’s not.” Alex announced. “We didn’t think about how triggering this would be and we completely bulldozed you. It won’t happen again.”

“Again? You mean… we’re still in the band?” He looked between them, shocked.

Luke let out a light laugh. “Bro, we’re getting famous! And not even death could separate us. Of course we’re still in the band.”

Alex reached out and put a hand on Reggie’s knee. “And now, we are going to go home, and get you cleaned up. You’re practically covered in sand, which I didn’t think was possible considering we can barely touch anything else.”

They all smiled at that, and the two boys pulled Reggie up off the ground. Luke looped his arms around both Alex and Reggie, as they walked back towards the street. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

#julie and the phantoms #luke patterson #reggie peters #alex mercer #kay writes

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reggiebabe · 2 years

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reggiebabe · 2 years

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face the music

Ray reached forward, probably to pick the book up, but Reggie’s brain went into overdrive. All he could process was the fact that Ray was mad. Julie was standing there. And Ray was moving fast with his arm outstretched towards her. Before he knew what he was doing, he was jumping in front of her with his arms held out, trying to stop him from going near her.

"No!"

Or: A misunderstanding leads to Reggie becoming visible, a revelation about his past, and a heart-to-heart with the Molinas.

Julie and the Phantoms was a band that was quickly gaining recognition. Now that they had opened for Panic! at the Disco, they had been approached by multiple record companies and had been bringing in gigs like crazy. This meant they were out every weekend performing, which left them all thrilled. And when they weren’t performing, they were practicing. And when they weren’t practicing, they were writing songs.

It was almost the dream. Even though they loved every second of it, being in the band drained them. Because of how much effort it took, they were all consistently exhausted. Reggie, Luke, and Alex were left relatively unaffected by this change because they had worked like this while they were alive and now it didn’t matter because they were, well, dead. But, unfortunately, Julie was left worse off.

Reggie knew he wasn’t the most perceptive person. That was obvious to anyone who knew him. But even he could see the problem. She gradually became less animated during their rehearsals and slipped away earlier and earlier to go to bed. He had to admit, he was concerned. Don’t get him wrong, he knew that she still clearly loved the band and was bursting with enthusiasm during shows, but anyone could see how much the schedule was wearing on her.

After about a week of this, he decided that someone should do something. He tried to bring it up to Luke, but, expectedly, he brushed it off. “Don’t worry! She’ll tell us if there’s a problem. Besides, we’re making it big, which is her dream. I’m sure she’s loving this.”

So, Reggie dropped it. With Luke, at least. But with each passing day, the concern kept gnawing at his brain until he decided to bring it up with Julie himself.

He would consider Julie and him to be friends. Obviously, as they played in the band together, and hung out sometimes. So, he felt like he could talk to her. But as he lingered outside her bedroom door, he fidgeted nervously. He wasn’t as close with her as Luke, or even Alex. He wasn’t even sure she would let him in. But this wasn’t about him, so he tried to bury that worry down and knock on her door.

After a few moments, she opened it. She looked surprised to see him. “Oh! Hey, Reggie. What’s up?”

He didn’t want to explain himself awkwardly in her doorway, so he just said “Can I talk to you about something?”

Her face softened, and she held the door open wider, despite the fact that he could’ve just passed right through. “Sure. Come on in.”

As he stepped into her room, he noticed her math book was lying open on her bed, note sheets spread across her comforter. He instantly felt bad- she had clearly been trying to get some studying done in her limited free time, but he interrupted her.

“If you’re busy, I can-“ he started to say but she shook her head.

“It’s no problem.” She said, but that statement was immediately contradicted as she had to stifle a yawn.

She sat on her bed and he took a careful seat next to her. “I’m a little worried about you, Jules.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re exhausted. You’re working yourself way too hard. I think we should pull back.”

“Are you kidding? We worked so hard for all of this? Am I not doing well enough?”

He quickly shook his head, reassuring her. “No, you’re doing fantastic. Which is the problem. You’re putting everything into this and I can see how tired you are. I’m pretty sure you’re about to doze off on my shoulder right now.”

She just shrugged and looked down at her lap.

He could understand how she was feeling. How could you ever think of slowing down when you’re on a roll? Luke, Alex, and him worked themselves to the bone to get Sunset Curve off the ground. But they didn’t have family responsibilities or school like Julie did. Their life was their band. And he didn’t want Julie to try and accomplish that with all the other things on her plate. And he knew she could never admit it, not with the fear of going backwards and letting them all down. So, he spoke up for her.

“I’ll talk to Alex and Luke. We’ll only do the really important gigs and try to make rehearsals less intense.” He decided for her.

He could see the anxiety seep from from her shoulders as she slumped down. “Thank you.”

“Of course!” He smiled and gave her a pat on the shoulder as he stood up.

Before he left, Ray came through the open door to talk to Julie.

“Hi, Ray!” He greeted, with a little wave. Though, as usual, no response.

“Julie, we need to talk.” His voice was calm and level, but something about the anger laced in it prevented him from leaving.

Broken glass. Screaming matches. Nights spent awake as his parents battled in their living room. Being blamed for everything. Being pushed into walls. Hidden bruises.

No. He would stay here with Julie.

“About what, dad?” She asked, also picking up on his tone.

“I got a call from your school. You fell asleep during your math test yesterday.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh.’ You promised me school would come first! And now you’re falling asleep in your classes and missing homework assignments because of how often you’re with the band!”

“I’m sorry. I actually just talked with them, and we’re going to cut back on hours because of how it’s affecting me.”

“No.”

Julie faltered. “No?”

Ray shook his head. “The band is on hold until you can make up that math test and show me that this is coming first.”

“But Dad! We’re finally making a name for ourselves!”

“Exactly. You have the standing to take some time off. You’re only 15. I don’t want this ruining you.”

“It won’t!” She threw her hands out with frustration, accidentally knocking her textbook onto the floor. It landed in front of her with a large smack, making him jump.

Ray reached forward, probably to pick it up, but Reggie’s brain went into overdrive. All he could process was the fact that Ray was mad. Julie was standing there. And Ray was moving fast with his arm outstretched towards her. Before he knew what he was doing, he was jumping in front of her with his arms held out, trying to stop him from going near her.

“No!”

Instantly, Ray jumped back, startled. Wide-eyed and frantic, he reached for something near him, which happened to be an old guitar. He swung it back behind him, like a baseball bat, eyes flicking towards Julie.

“Who are you and where did you come from?” He demanded, staring ahead. Staring at Reggie.

“You- You can see me?” He faltered, taking a step back.

“What do you mean by that?” Ray gave him a wary look.

Julie gasped, looking between the two people in front of her. She seemed to be freaking out as much as he was. Oh god. Now he’s gone and messed up everything. For the band, for Ray, for Julie. He just wanted to help and now it’s all falling apart. Though a part of him always knew this wouldn’t last.

“Sorry - I gotta-“ Before either of them could say anything else, he was gone.

His first thought was to poof into the studio to warn Alex and Luke. But when he got there, neither boy was in sight. He looked around for a few more moments, just to make sure he wasn’t missing them, before he collapsed on the couch. Hopefully, they wouldn’t come back here before Reggie got a chance to talk to them. He wanted to warn them that Ray knew, how badly he messed up, and to give them a chance to avoid this mess.

On a more selfish note, he had nowhere to go now. He didn’t have the boys or the loft. Where was left? He could go to the beach and wait for this to blow over or try and find his parents or… that was all semantics. He needed to get out of there quickly, so he didn’t have to face Julie and feel that intense pain of rejection. He had felt it before with almost everyone else in his life, and he didn’t know if he could handle it coming from her.

“Reggie!” He heard Julie call out from somewhere outside, shaking him from his thoughts.

He tried to poof somewhere else, but because he was so panicked, he couldn’t focus. It wasn’t working. So, instead, he had to face the music. He stood up and cautiously walked towards the closed doors of the studio.

They swung open loudly, making him jump. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, Julie was running towards him and pulling him into a tight hug. He was confused- shouldn’t she be mad at him?

“What’s happening, Julie?” He asked her, his voice coming out weaker than he would’ve liked.

“I told my dad. About you, about Luke and Alex, about the whole ghost thing. I told him.” She explained, still holding onto his arms.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. He wants to meet you.”

He froze. “He wants to… meet me?”

Julie smiled at him. “Of course he does.”

“And he’s….” Reggie stumbled for the right words. “Mad at me?”

“For what?” Julie looked at him confused.

“For…” he waved his hands around. “Everything.”

Julie opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Ray was already popping his head into the studio.

“Mr. Molina. Nice to meet you.” His voice was tight and he tried to brace himself for the inevitable. No matter what Julie had said before, he was still convinced that this was about to be a bad conversation.

“Nice to meet you too, Reggie. It is great to be able to finally thank you for what you’ve done for Julie. I honestly cannot express how grateful I am that you and the rest of your band inspired her to play music again.”

And well. He wasn’t expecting that. He blushed profusely as he responded, “Oh. Thank you, sir.”

Ray just waved him off. “Please, none of that. Just call me Ray.”

“Yes, sir. Ray. Yes.” Reggie stuttered, just making the other two laugh.

Obviously sensing Reggie’s discomfort, Ray spoke up again. “It’s alright, mijo. You’re fine here.”

Reggie started at his feet, scuffing them nervously across the concrete. “Are… are you sure?”

“Yes, of course. You need a place to rehearse, after all. You play bass?”

“Yeah, since I was about eleven years old.”

“Well, you’re very talented. All of you, actually.” He was interrupted by a ring of his phone. He glanced down and, seeing the alarm, sighed. “I have to go pick up Carlos from baseball. Hopefully we can talk later and I can meet the rest of the band?”

Reggie found himself smiling, in spite of himself. “Yeah, uh, definitely.”

Ray clapped his hands together and smiled. “Great. I’ll look forward to it.”

Ray left the garage, leaving Julie and Reggie alone. He could practically feel Julie’s concerned stare against his skin, so he stepped away from her and kept his gaze trained on the floor. Now that Ray was gone, there was nothing stopping from Julie asking the multitude of questions he knew she had. He knew he owed her an explanation, especially because he just forced her to tell her dad about the true nature of the band. But that didn’t mean he was any more prepared to burden her with all his thoughts and feelings.

She opened her mouth and he braced himself for her inquisitivity. When she spoke, he wasn’t prepared for her to ask, “How are you doing?”

“How am I doing?” He asked her, his head shooting up to give her an incredulous look.

“Yes. That seemed to be a lot for you.”

After getting over the initial shock of her being so kind, he admitted, “I’m alright. A little worse for wear, but not too shabby.” He hesitated, before saying “I feel like I owe you an explanation.”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

With that one phrase, he was reminded how much he loved Julie Molina. While his band was great, they never would let something like this slide. Despite the fact that she had given him an out, he still needed to tell her. Wanted to tell her, actually.

He looked back down at the ground, fidgeting with the hem of his flannel. “I think I will.”

“Okay.” She leaned against the arm of the couch patiently, giving him the space to talk.

“Until I died, I lived with my parents. And I loved them, you know? Because they were my parents. But things were… a bit rough.” He huffed. “They fought almost constantly. The only time I really got a break was when I was out of the house or my dad was passed out on the couch. From drinking. But when he got to that stage right before that…” His voice faltered, and he wiped at the few tears that had leaked from his eyes.

“It’s okay, Reg. Take your time.” Julie gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Before he reached the point of unconsciousness, he used to get mean. Really mean. Telling my mom how much he regretted marrying her, how much of a useless son I was.”

He could tell how much Julie wanted to interject, but thankfully she let him continue. If he stopped now, he wasn’t sure he would be able to continue. He never really had to tell the boys any of this, as they all witnessed it first hand. And, well, no one else knew. Except, now, Julie.

“He also used to hit us.” He said it simply, devoid of emotion, but he could see the way Julie’s mouth dropped and her eyes welled up with tears. “I got used to having to jump between him and my mom when I saw it coming. Your dad was angry at you and when you dropped that book, and he moved so fast that… I know he would never hurt you, Julie. But at that moment, I didn’t even think about it.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Of course. I would do anything for you, Jules.” He gave her a soft smile, which she returned.

She reached towards him ever so carefully, and when her hand hit his arm, he stayed solid. Julie wasted no time before reaching out and pulling him into the tightest hug he had had in a long time. He was a good head taller than her, so she pressed her face in his chest, right below his chin. He buried his face in her curls and tried to soak in the love and pure light she was exuding.

Despite their position, he could hear her say so clearly. “Well, you’ll always have a family in us Molinas, Reggie.”

#julie and the phantoms #reggie peters #julie molina #ray molina #kay writes

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reggiebabe · 2 years

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Sorry, been working on my commissions lately so I haven’t been able to draw new stuff in a while! In the mean time— how about some old Barista!Luke sketches?

✅support artists!

❌NO REPOSTS

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reggiebabe · 2 years

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twinkle lights

after a particularly bad fight with his parents, reggie seeks comfort from luke.

Band practice had been great. Fantastic, even. For the first time, Reggie had nailed his solo in their newest song, “Now or Never.” He had been working on it all week, but for some reason the chords were ridiculous to flow through. His fingers had been calloused and bloody for the amount of times he tried it, but it all paid off. The boys had given him such praise for it and Luke had gotten so excited for him, he pressed a kiss right to his cheek. Reggie blushed the rest of the way through their set.

It was complicated and it hurt like hell, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Because for all his flaws, he was perfect. His enthusiasm was infectious. With his passion for music and his intense love for his friends, he made Reggie feel safer than ever before. And safe was rare for him.

Falling in love with Luke Patterson was inevitable.

He knew that the second he saw him. He was in the second grade, eating mulch at recess when he looked over near the slide to see this brunet boy, who was shorter than everyone else. He was standing over a boy with blond hair and a bloody nose, fists clenched, and face scrunched up with determination. The blond boy looked like he was trying not to cry, as Luke faced off against a couple fourth graders who had been bullying the poor kid. Reggie was never one to fight. He was terrified of getting in the middle of something. But seeing Luke there, so brave and loyal, Reggie pushed all his fears aside and went to help. He ended up with a few bruises, but it was worth the next ten years of friendship he would have with Luke and Alex.

So, by the time Reggie returned home, he was in a great mood. His face hurt from smiling and laughing, and the adrenaline pumping through his veins made him not even feel tired. Maybe he would even have time to get a head start on his math homework. He knew if he did that, the boys would be so proud of him. The thought of him doing that made him even more determined to keep up his streak.

He knew the second he walked into his house, though, that that would not be happening. His parents were in the living room, having a particularly bad fight. He had learned to tell from an early age how things would be based on different factors.

He could smell the alcohol coming from his dad from a few feet away. Bad.

There was shattered glass on the floor. Bad.

His failed math test was sitting on the counter. Extra bad.

He clenched his bag tighter to his chest as he stepped further into the house. He was hoping he could make it up the stairs without catching anyone’s attention on him. He tried to close the door behind him as quietly as possible, but as luck would have it, it slammed just a little too hard. Both heads whipped around to look at him and he winced. He could see his dad’s hard stare boring into his soul, while his mom just sighed exasperatedly. He wasn’t sure which was worse.

He stopped in his tracks and just stared at the floor and prepared for the onslaught of insults.

“Where the hell have you been?” His dad spat at him.

“Band practice, sir.” He responded, trying to make himself as small as possible.

He rolled his eyes. “You were fooling around with that stupid guitar again, Reginald? Are you trying to waste our time?”

“No, sir.”

“We had to get a call from the school about the fact that you’re failing math. You think I wanted to deal with that?” His dad took a step closer to him.

“No, sir.”

“So then why the hell aren’t you trying? You think this is our problem?” Another step.

“No, sir.” Reggie’s back was against the wall.

“You’re either lazy or just plain stupid. Which is it?”

His heart dropped at that, as he remembered the last week. Staying up late doing practice problems, begging Alex to help him with some concepts, Luke staying in the library with him during lunch. He had never studied for anything harder, yet that obviously didn’t work. “I am trying. I studied for this test for hours, but-”

“But what? You still couldn’t get it? This is basic fucking algebra!” His dad waved the now-crumpled test above his head maniacally.

“I’m sorry.” It came out practically a whimper.

“Don’t be sorry. Quit making everything our problem. I already have enough to deal with.”

This is when his mom finally decided to cut in. “You better not be talking about me.”

“Damn right I am. Do you see what a pathetic son you’re raising? Just look at him!” Reggie had been trying to make his way slowly towards the door, but that comment brought the attention back to him.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” His dad yelled at him, making him flinch and back towards the wall.

“I’m-” He started but was quickly cut off.

“I don’t want to hear it!” His dad practically roared, walking towards him with a determined look that shook Reggie to his core.

He didn’t want another bruise to hide from his friends, or something even worse. So, the second his dad reached out to grab him, he took off. His dad grasped at his flannel, managing to pull it off his shoulders, but by the time he realized he hadn’t actually gotten ahold of him, Reggie was out the door into the street.

He didn’t stop until he was a few blocks away, just in case his dad had decided to follow him. He bent over and was panting, his lungs burning with the cold air. He was only in his ripped jeans and t-shirt at this point, and he shivered against the chill air. His heart was still thumping in his chest, going a million miles an hour, as he thought back to what almost happened. He dropped down on the sidewalk, and put his head between his knees, trying to calm his breathing. That’s what usually helped. But he couldn’t focus, he was so paranoid his dad would show up to drag him back home. That’s what motivated him to keep going.

He wasn’t sure where he could go, though. Alex’s house was a no-go, as things were still tense at the Mercer household after Alex came out. He couldn’t go to Bobby’s because, as much as he loved his bandmate, he was not the person Reggie would go to in crisis. And he couldn’t get into the studio, not when Luke currently had the only set of keys. So, he had to go to Luke’s. Which honestly, was always where he was headed. Even before he had made up his mind, he was hopping his neighbor’s fence to get to the Patterson’s.

He got there in only a few minutes and was forever grateful that Luke only lived one neighborhood over. He stood in their driveway staring at the house with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He froze at the idea of going in. Despite the fact that Luke had seen him through worse, the idea of facing him in such a vulnerable state made him second guess himself. So, instead, he stood there, looking like an idiot until he heard the door open and saw a figure in the doorway.

“Reggie? Is that you?” He heard a familiar voice ask.

“Luke.” His voice broke as he said his best friends name.

“What’s going on, what’s wrong?” Luke was immediately rushing out the door in his old Los Feliz sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants to wrap Reggie in a hug.

“I… I can’t…” He struggled to get out the words as his body was wracked with sobs.

Luke wrapped him up tighter and started ushering him inside. “Reg, you’re freezing. Where’s your jacket?”

“My dad-” He started, but his throat closed at the mere mention of him.

Luckily, Luke seemed to get it. “Let’s get you upstairs.”

Luke took him inside quietly, avoiding his parents who were watching the television in the living room. He didn’t know how he could possibly explain to them what had happened, and he didn’t even want to try. They tiptoed up the stairs, Luke’s hold on Reggie never faltering. Which was a relief, as he wasn’t entirely sure he could stand at the moment.

When they got into Luke’s room, the boy immediately thrust new clothes into Reggie’s arms. “Change. You’ll be much warmer.”

He did as he was told, in no mood to argue. He took off his shirt, replacing it with an old AC/DC shirt of Luke’s, and slid on a pair of black sweatpants. Despite the new clothes, he still shivered. Unfortunately, Luke noticed and headed into his closet.

“Why do I not have any sweatshirts? I feel like I just did laundry…” He muttered to himself. After a minute, he gave up, and instead peeled off his own and tossed it at Reggie.

“I can’t take this, then you’ll be cold.” He mumbled.

“Reg, I’m fine. Please. Put on the sweatshirt.” Luke encouraged. And so he did. The sleeves fell slightly past his fingertips even though they were the same size, but Reggie reveled in it. He bunched up his arms into his chest and relaxed at the comfort that protection provided him.

He waited on edge, as he could tell Luke was bursting to ask what happened. But it never came. Instead, the other boy asked, “Want to listen to music?”

Reggie nodded, so Luke pulled out his worn CD and popped it into the player. The familiar sounds of Queen drifted through the speakers, as Reggie finally began to unwind. Luke flipped off the lights in his room, instead letting his strung Christmas lights illuminate the room. It doused everything in a soft white glow, as they flopped onto Luke’s bed.

They laid there, facing each other, before Reggie finally spoke. “Am I stupid?”

Luke shot up in surprise, propping himself up on his arm. “Of course not! Who told you that?”

“My dad.” He mumbled, fumbling with his sleeves instead of watching Luke turn angry.

“He’s a piece of shit and a liar, Reg. Don’t listen to a word he says.”

“I failed that math test.” He admitted. He had hidden the test from his friends before, not wanting to disappoint them, but he knew he couldn’t hide it from Luke. “I tried so hard and he said I was either lazy or stupid.”

“Look at me.” Reggie glanced up and was met with the intense, emotional stare of Luke’s deep brown eyes. “You’re not stupid.”

“Okay.” He didn’t quite believe him.

Luke laid back down and reached forward, taking Reggie’s hands in his. “It’s not his fault he can’t see how great you are. Besides, who needs algebra? You are the best bass player I’ve ever heard, which says a lot, and that’s what’s important.”

“Okay.” He repeated. He thought carefully about his next words, trying to keep the question to himself, but ended up blurting out, “Why don’t they love me?”

That had been the question on his mind since he was ten years old. When his dad started getting more aggressive and his mom grew more apathetic. Eventually, they only cared about him when he directly impacted them, or when they needed more ammo in their arguments. They don’t care about his band, or how he is, or anything else. And no matter how hard he tried, nothing ever felt good enough. He’s not good enough.

“I honestly don’t know, Reggie. Because you are my favorite person in the whole world, and I can’t imagine not loving you.” Luke paused, so Reggie looked up into his eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Reggie answered back. Of course he did, Luke told him that all the time. Usually in the same breath that he would say how good of friends they were.

Luke shook his head against the pillow, though. “No, Reg. I love you, love you.”

Reggie’s brain short circuited. There was no way that Luke Patterson loved him back. So, he said, “No you don’t.”

“I do. I love how you light up when you talk about things you like, and how you always come to share the mic with me when we sing, and how you always make me eat your grape fruit snacks because you don’t like them, even though they taste the same as the other ones. I love you, Reginald Peters.”

“I love you too.” Reggie said, blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. “I have since the moment I met you.”

He could see the moment Luke’s eyes lit up. “You… you do?”

“Of course I do.” Reggie answered back, as if it was the simplest answer in the world. And, to him, it was.

“Can… Can I kiss you?” Luke asked, leaning forward.

“Yes. Yes, please do.”

And then Luke’s lips were on his. He could taste the popcorn that Luke had probably been eating only minutes before he noticed Reggie. Luke’s hand was running through his hair, while his other hand snaked up the back of his shirt. Luke kissed him like it was the end of the world. It was sweet and soft, yet firm at the same time, and Reggie felt lost in it. It was everything the dazed second grader thought it would be. It was everything the thirteen-year-old wondering “do I like boys?” hoped it would be. It was everything the seventeen-year-old getting kissed on the cheek dreamed it would be.

Because it had always been Luke.

After a few minutes, they pulled away, Luke being slightly out of breath. For a few moments, Luke gazed at him with his expression that could only be described as awe. He then gave Reggie a grin, before pulling him in close. Reggie cuddled up to Luke’s side, as they laid on his bed, still on top of the blankets. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t need to. Instead, Reggie watched the lights dance around the room. He was safe here, in every sense of the word. And that was it for him.

#tbh this is one of my favorite things i’ve written #julie and the phantoms #luke patterson #reggie peters #peterpatter #ruke #kay writes

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