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floating-in-the-blue · 3 years

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I attempted a little belated Alex/Reggie bday ficlet for the lovely @madamecristal and I just hope you like it, hunny! As avertised, slight angst with cuddling ;D

“Really ... I’m so sorry, Alex.” Reggie let his head fall forward as he walked next to his friend, dragging his feet on their way to his home. “I know I set the notes out last night so I wouldn’t forget them, again, and I have no idea how I managed to do it anyway.”

“It’s okay, Reg,” Alex said with a sigh.

Reggie appreciated that Alex wanted to make him feel better but the fact that he wasn’t teasing him about his forgetfulness, throwing out a sarcastic comment, spoke volumes. It was probably just his consideration for Reggie that had him not visibly stressing out about losing even more time for his prep work for tomorrow’s math test. He’d missed the last lesson because of a dentist appointment and Reggie had promised to lend him his notes but ... well. Things were bad at home right now and Reggie’s memory went foggy and now his best friend might not get his usual straight A and it would all be his fault.

“I’m so sorry.”

Alex stopped abruptly, turning towards him with a frown. “Reggie. If you say you’re sorry one more time I might just murder you on the spot. And you know what? Then at least I wouldn’t have to take the test tomorrow because I would be arrested and I don’t think they have math tests in jail so ... go ahead, say it.”

He glared but there was a weird half-tired, half-amused glint in his eyes.

“I’m-- “ Alex raised his eyebrow, “rethinking how to end this sentence.”

When Alex broke into a laugh, Reggie felt a little better and smiled tentatively.

They should not have been home. They should not have been home or Reggie would never have let Alex walk here with him.

But they were. And they were hurling insults at each other. And plates.

One of them nicked his shoulder before crashing into the wall and only Alex’s fast reflexes saved him from more injuries by janking him to the side.

Reggie stood rooted to the spot, his adrenaline making a belated appearance, heart beating so fast it nearly drowned out his parents’ shouting. Because they hadn’t stopped. They hadn’t even registed that he and Alex had arrived.

“Pack your things, Reg. You’re not staying here tonight,” Alex growled out of the corner of his mouth, while eyeing Reggie’s parents warily.

Reggie hadn’t even noticed when Alex had moved in front of him.

He shoved past him, sighing.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll get your notes and then you can get out of here.”

“Reggie.”

They had finally spotted them. His father was frowning, and his mother looked just as displeased, though grimacing in a way that was probably supposed to be a smile.

“You didn’t say you were bringing friends over.”

“No. I ... I just forgot to give Alex some school notes. We’ll just grab them and he’ll be gone in a minute.”

Alex tugged him back to his side.

“We will be gone in a minute. As soon as Reggie has packed his things for the night. He’s coming with me.”

“Oh? Is that so?” His mom cocked one eyebrow, arms crossed.

“Yes,” Alex replied firmly, staring Reggie’s mom down.

“Oh, let the boy go.” Reggie’s dad waved a dismissive hand, as if it didn’t matter whether Reggie stayed or went. Which was probably the truth.

“Well, if that is what you wish,” his mom said, miffed but trying for indifferent.

Reggie didn’t answer. He let Alex drag him to his room so he could start packing.

What he wished?

He wished Alex didn’t have to see this. He knew about the fights. All his friends knew. But knowing and seeing where two different things and although he knew it was stupid, since they all said his parents were assholes, he didn’t want Alex to see them this way.

He wished he didn’t have to be dragged out of his home by his best friend because his parents were fighting.

He wished he could ask Alex to stay.

Instead, he was stuffing his pyjamas and toothbrush into a bag, accepting the fresh clothes Alex handed him, and punched them all so they would fit.

They were out of the house two minutes later, his parents already in the middle of the next fight.

“Shit.”

Reggie stopped two steps after they left the bus stop, and Alex came to a halt beside him.

“We forgot the notes! I forgot the notes!”

Alex chewed his bottom lip, swaying slightly where he stood, hands buried deep in the pockets of his jacket. Then he let out a sigh.

“Fuck the notes.”

Reggie’s eyes went wide and his jaw was definitely hanging open because not only did Alex rarely swear, he also was very diligent when it came to his school work.

“We could go back for them. Let me check when the next bus into town gets here. Can’t be more than a couple minutes, right?”

His left foot was already on the road when Alex’s hand on his arm stopped him, pulling him back onto the curb.

“You’re not going back there. Not today. I’ll be fine. You’ll definitely be fine. And it’s only a math test.”

Reggie gaped at Alex before narrowing his eyes.

“Who are you and what have you done to Alex? Because Alex Mercer never says ‘it’s just a math test!’“

Alex huffed out a laugh, tracing small circles into the dirt under his shoes.

“He does when there are more important things to consider.”

“Huh?”

Alex rolled his eyes before nudging him with his shoulder.

“You! Idiot! You’re more important than math to me!”

“Oh.”

Alex’s parents were not hurling dinner plates but they were not amused. Alex hadn’t had any of his friends over for the night ever since he’d come out to his parents and the way his mom was now narrowing her eyes at Reggie and her son made him squirm.

“You could have asked if we would be okay to have a guest over tonight, hunny.”

She didn’t raise her voice, she smiled, but Reggie could feel Alex stiffening next to him.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Mercer,” Reggie stammered and, turning to Alex, added: “I’ll go home. It’s okay.”

“It is NOT okay!”

Both Reggie and Alex’s mom took a step back and she had already opened her mouth to admonish her son’s volume but Alex didn’t let her get to that.

“They were throwing plates, Mom,” he pressed out through gritted teeth and Reggie really wished he hadn’t said that because he really didn’t need even more people knowing about that but at the same time, he was absolutely fascinated by the pure anger rolling off Alex. “So I don’t care what problem you and Dad have with it, he’s staying! We can keep the door open or I can sleep on the couch or whatever but Reggie stays!”

Mrs Mercer swallowed, considered Alex for a moment in which he made no signs of backing down, and then she nodded. She turned to Reggie and smiled.

“Of course you are, sweetie. I hope you like lasagna.”

Only after she had returned to the living room did the tension slowly bleed out of Alex’s shoulders and he nodded his head for Reggie to follow him up to his room.

Despite his words, Alex closed the door behind them immediately and slumped against it.

Reggie was already sitting cross-legged on Alex’s bed, staring at his friend.

“Thank you, Alex.”

Alex straightened up again, pushing his hair out of his face.

“Yeah, uh, sure. You’re welcome.” He pushed off the door. “What do you want to do now?”

They ended up listening to music and going over everything Reggie could remember from his notes and it was a good afternoon.

They’d dragged out the old inflatable mattress from the basement that had seen its fair share of band sleepovers. It had always been large enough for two boys, with the Alex sharing his bed with whoever was first to claim it.

Lying alone on the mattress was strange. Reggie wished Luke and Bobby were here but he was also kind of glad they weren’t. That it was just Alex and him.

Still, he couldn’t find rest, no matter how still he lay.

“You okay, Reg?”

Alex’s quiet voice eventually crossed over from the bed to the mattress on the floor.

“I didn’t pack my lion,” Reggie eventually admitted.

Alex was the only one who knew that Reggie’s stuffed lion still lived on the bottom of his wardrobe where he could grab it whenever he needed something to hug. It was an oversized toy that had been longer than him when he’d first gotten it at the pier and Reggie had always believed it would protect him when his parents’ fighting became bad.

“Oh.”

Reggie could practically hear Alex frown, his mind running through possible substitues he could offer Reggie.

“Can I ...,” Reggie licked his lips, teeth grazing over chapped skin. “Can I sleep in the bed with you?”

There was a disheartening long beat of silence that answered him and Reggie was already swearing at himself for being so stupid.

They hadn’t stopped cuddling and hugging after Alex’s coming out but there hadn’t been any sleepovers either. And his parents would definitely freak out if they found the two of them in bed together.

But then Alex’s hesitant words came floating out of the darkness.

“If you want? Of course, Reg.”

Reggie crawled out from under his blanket and padded over to Alex’s bed but hesitated once he reached it.

“Only if you’re okay with it?”

There was a small laugh and a hint of teeth, the light from the street lamp reflecting dimly off Alex’s blond hair.

“Yeah, come here, Reggie.”

Alex tugged on his pyjama leg and Reggie climbed in, already feeling relieved.

There was a bit of a wobbly rearrangement of pillows and bodies since Reggie preferred to sleep next to the wall and felt safest between that and Alex’s solid body. He dragged Alex closer until the taller boy was curled around him, holding him.

“Is that okay?” he asked, somewhat belatedly, the hair at his neck standing up at Alex’s answering chuckle, breath ghosting over his skin.

“Yeah. This is okay.”

“Good.” Reggie exhaled deeply, snuggling closer into Alex’s warmth, thinking about how he had stood up not only to Reggie’s parents but his own, too.

Usually, Luke and Bobby were the ones taking the offensive, Luke’s passion and protective instinct driving him forward, while Bobby kept a steadying presence by his side, and Alex made sure Reggie was okay. Today, though, Alex had gotten over his own anxiety. And all just because he had wanted to protect Reggie.

“Alex?”

“Hm?”

“You’re better than a stuffed lion. You actually roar.”

Alex chuckled again, holding him closer, lips moving against his skin.

“Only for you.”

Reggie smiled and reached for Alex’s hand, holding it until he fell asleep, feeling warm and safe and loved.

#ralex #alex mercer #reggie peters #jatp fanfic #jatp #phantomfloat #my writing

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