Chapter Text
May, 1996
Alex hits his head with the roof of the car trying to untangle himself from Luke's Kung-fu grip legs around him.
Luke bites his lip to keep from laughing and Alex shoots him a serious look.
"We have to go," he says but his eyes are sparkling under the moonlight creeping into the darkness of the car.
Luke sighs and puts his hands on the back of Alex's neck. "You said that," he mutters, his index fingers trailing circles on Alex's skin.
"Yeah, but you're not listening to me," he complains but his body is giving in, relaxing into Luke's space.
"'Cause it's hard to concentrate on anything when your brain's been turned into mush after the bestest orgasm ever," Luke replies, sleepily, his eyes closing. "I just wanna sleep now."
He grips Alex's neck tighter, hugging him to his chest and Alex complies with a sigh before he says: "I won't be caught dead sleeping in the back of your dad's Toyota, Luke."
"I said we could go to a motel," Luke refutes, trying to shrug but Alex is near dead weight on him.
"Oh, yeah, I'd love to explain what are two boys doing booking a motel room together…"
"What? We're eighteen," Luke says.
"Not you yet. And that's not even half of what I meant," Alex says, making a face at him. Luke replies by giving him a smirk, and Alex leans in to kiss his chin. "I'm serious, we have to go. It's school night and it's, like, 2 a.m."
Luke would've rolled his eyes if he didn't have them closed again already. "Ah, I wish I cared," he jokes.
"You should care!" Alex says, moving away from him as best as he could. "You can't claim the Juilliard scholarship if you don't graduate and then you won't come with me and Reggie to New York," he adds.
"I don't need a Juilliard degree to play music, Alex," Luke says, his eyes still closed.
"No, but you know how many doors that would open?" he almost shouts, making Luke open his eyes reluctantly. "Plus, wasn't that the whole plan? That we go there and hone our craft? The whole "if we make it in the big city, we'll make it everywhere"?"
Luke eyes him almost amused. "How does it work? I mean, I just saw these pretty eyes," he says, pointing closely with two fingers to Alex's eyes, "go blank less than five minutes ago and now you're rambling questions at my face?" he asks, sweetly looking at him.
A simple smile draws in Alex's face. "That's anxiety for you, baby," he jokes and Luke breaks into laughter.
"It sounds awful," he says later but his eyes are beaming.
Alex shrugs and rests his chin on Luke's chest. "I can't help my thoughts," he says.
Luke stares down at him and nods. But then he bites his lower lip and moves his hand to run on Alex's head, brushing his locks off his forehead.
He leans in just a little and whispers: "Go the fuck away, assholes," at Alex's forehead.
Alex frowns but he gives out a light chuckle. "What was that?"
"I'm talking to your thoughts. I won't let them ruin the night," Luke explains, with a funny, sarcastic spark in his eyes.
Alex's smile widens and he mutters 'I love you' into his lips and it's so good Luke forgets he was supposed to say it back.
~☆~
It doesn't help that the next thing he says when he sees Alex is: "Guys, I have to tell you something."
There's a fry hanging loosely off Reggie's mouth and Alex looks at him, a little taken back.
"I'm not going to New York with you next month," Luke says, regretfully.
"What?!" Reggie shouts, fry flying off the table.
"Oh, god, did you bomb the Stats exam?" Alex says, worried.
Luke shakes his head. "No, no. I've been doing better with your notes. Not the greatest GPA but I'll graduate," he assures.
"Then what is it?" Reggie wonders and Luke can see Alex swallow next to him.
"I'm going backpacking through Europe. I talked with my folks about it," he says. Reggie frowns at him and Alex looks conflicted, his mind somewhere else. "Yeah, I mean, just a few months. I need to get in touch with myself, gain back some perspective."
"Luke, what the fuck are you on?" Alex cuts in, frowning deep.
"Alex, these past months were unbearable. Hell, the whole fucking year was unbearable. I almost dropped out twice before we won the festival. My folks drove me up the wall constantly—"
"Yeah, but all that shit is over with, remember? We all get to leave home now," Reggie speaks, more carefully. His eyes have the softness Alex lacks in his.
"I'm not saying I'm not going. I'm just saying I'm not going yet ," Luke explains, shifting his eyes between both of his best friends.
"Right. Because this year was the fucking worst," Alex almost spits and Luke is about to curve his eyebrows in a 'well, yeah' expression before he gets what Alex means.
The only good thing that happened to him this year other than winning a Juilliard scholarship was getting to kiss Alex. Repeatedly. In lots of places.
"Not everything was. Not even close," he says, his eyes glued to the drummer. Alex's glare softens just a little but he's still not rolling with it.
It'll be fine. They'll have plenty of time to keep kissing once he comes back from his trip and they all live together in a crowded, convoluted city like New York.
Plus, Reggie will keep Alex company, anyway.
The three of them get drunk after graduation and Reggie tears up a little, says he's excited to be out of his house but he's mostly excited about being with them.
Alex on his end is awfully quiet as he is when he gets drunk.
And Luke only stares at them and gives them a kiss on the cheek to each before they all drop him, dead-limbed, on his bed.
Luke sneaks a hand on their shirts and pulls. Reggie gives in with a squeak and no fight at all while Alex grunts and tries to wiggle his way out of Luke's grip on his shoulder.
But Luke puffs a breath struggling and mutters: "Reggie, help."
Reggie laughs from Luke's right armpit and shifts, then throws his leg on top of the guitarist and hooks his ankle on Alex's thigh, his leg pressing like a goddamned anchor.
Naturally, Alex gives up. Not because he couldn't have gotten out easily but because it now required more effort than he was willing to put.
Plus, he was also drunk. And sleepy. And he loved the way Luke smelled. And the image of Reggie just stretched out easily like a freaking cat all over the both of them made Alex grin into Luke's bicep.
He didn't say the L word this time.
He didn't have to, though.
Cause Reggie snuggles closer to them, turning so his chest is pressed to Luke's side and he moves his hand across Luke's torso to fetch for Alex's hand between their bodies and holds it, sleepily but still firm.
"Ah, I love you guys," he yawns. Alex raises his head from his warm, flesh pillow and looks at them. Reggie's eyes are closing and Luke's already gone, mouth open.
Leave it to him to not answer a stupid 'I love you'.
Alex rolls his eyes and then looks at Reggie's fingers intertwining with his own, almost like they're moving at their own thought since Reggie's evening his breathing as he drifts off.
"I love you, too, Reg," Alex whispers, smiling.
And he did. It was just Luke he was frustrated with.
~☆~
They say goodbye at the airport and Luke tries not to crack under Alex's very evident glare. It doesn't help that he's on edge because his parents are there with him, looking at Luke and Reggie suspiciously and not like they're the kids they've known for years now.
Ah, Luke could still remember how cool Alex's parents were before it all went to shit.
"I'll call to ask you for the address as soon as you guys settle and then I'll send you guys postcards from where I'm at," he says.
Reggie goes "sure" and Alex nods, looking the other way; he didn't care.
Luke chuckles at Alex's bad mood and he was going to say something when Alex's sister jumped on her brother and hugged him.
She says something into Alex's shoulder and Luke eyes Reggie, looking down.
Yes, Alex's parents were iceberg cold now after they used to shower Alex in love and affection all because he wasn't straight like they thought. But they still came to send him off to his better, grown-up life.
Which is more than Reggie can say about his.
Luke puts a hand on his shoulder and pulls him close again. "Hey," Luke says, looking into Reggie's eyes. "Try not to have too much fun without me, ok?" he whispers at his face, grinning.
Reggie lightens up, then. "Can't make any promises," he jokes and Luke pulls Reggie's head harshly to his shoulder, ruffling his hair in a hug.
Then they let go, but Luke's arm's still wrapped around Reggie's shoulders, Reggie putting his arm around Luke's waist. They turn to Alex, still saying goodbye to his sister with watery eyes.
"Take care of him while I'm gone, Reg," Luke says, quieter now.
Reggie arches an eyebrow, confused. "Who? Alex?"
But Alex turns to them with a sigh, dropping Annie to the floor. "Please, if Reggie's the one looking after me, then I'm in serious trouble," he says, walking closer to them, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Ok, can you at least promise not to drive each other up the wall? I don't wanna come back and have to help one of you hide the other's dead body," Luke jokes.
Reggie and Alex look at each other in sync and Alex gives him a narrowed-eyes look that Reggie mimics just a few seconds later.
"Eh. We'll behave," Reggie says.
"Or at least we'll survive ," Alex says instead.
They have their whole lives ahead.