Work Text:
I Think I’ll Just Collapse Right Here
Disorientation | Blurred Vision | Ringing Ears
Reggie should have said something earlier, and now he was paying the price for it. It was like what he felt back in Caleb’s club. The disorientation of not knowing . Not knowing if Luke was still there, if Alex was safe, if his family was still alive. Caleb’s dancers had flooded his fiction making it impossible to see Luke or Alex from his place on the stage. Reggie’s eyesight blurred, his head splitting as Caleb’s magic tried to pull him apart.
So now, standing at his mic in the studio he tried to crane his neck so he could look around Julie and see Luke standing at his mic… but he couldn’t. He lost track of where they were in the song and his vision blurred. Luckily no one seemed to notice when his fingers stumbled over his strings, messing up the beat. “Dude we killed it!” Luke exclaimed, pulling Julie in for a hug. Reggie stumbled, flickering as his knees hit the ground.
“Reggie!” Julie cried out, instantly at his side. “What’s going on?” She asked. His brain hurt too much to focus, blinking furiously as a sharp pain twisted in his mind. When he was able to see again, Luke’s face replaced Julie’s, eyes full of worry and concern.
“Hurts,” Reggie managed to croak out, throat dry and hoarse. He pulled his knees to his chest, pressing his arms against either side of his head. Luke’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, “afraid.” He tugged at the cuff of his flannel sleeve. Julie lowered into his vision, Reggie ignored the tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. His heart clenched, twisting in his chest. Alex poofed to Reggie’s other side, eyes sad and pitiful. Reggie looked down, wringing his fingers together.
“Reggie, we can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong,” Julie said softly, her hand softly covering Reggie’s hands. He blinked again, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. Luke covered Julie’s hand with his own and suddenly Reggie realized Luke was real… That Luke was there .
“Can’t - Can’t think …” Reggie said, trying to figure out how to explain what he was feeling. Julie hesitantly reached a hand up and cupped Reggie’s face. Reggie pressed into her palm, letting her touch ground him. Luke let out a shaky laugh and ran a hand though Reggie’s hair.
“Reggie,” Luke said pointedly. A tear finally rolled it’s way down his cheek, and Julie brushed it away with her thumb. “We’re here to help you, just tell us what you need,” Luke said and Reggie launched himself forward, burying his face into Luke’s chest. A beat of silence passed then Luke’s guitar-calloused hand snaked around Reggie’s waist, pulling him closer from the back of his head. Reggie squeezed his eyes shut, sniffling as his snot stained Luke’s sleeveless t-shirt. Reggie broke down, shaking uncontrollably as Julie’s arms wrapped around him from behind, sandwiching him between her and Luke.
“I thought -” Reggie hiccuped, the rest of the sentence caught in his throat.
“Shh,” Julie hushed into his ear, humming a soft lullaby he hadn’t heard before. Reggie let out another choked sob, refusing to let go of Luke. Luke who was solid, Luke who was here, Luke who was real , and not still trapped at the Hollywood Ghost Club. “It’s okay,” Julie whispered softly. Luke joined in on Julie’s humming, and the pain in the back of Reggie’s head subsided. He slumped into Luke’s chest going limp, not wanting to think about anything anymore. He just wanted to take in Luke’s warmth, and the steady heartbeat from Julie that he could feel from her hug.
“‘M sorry,” Reggie mumbled after Luke poofed them both onto the couch. Julie crossed the room and lowered herself on his otherside. Luke’s arm stretched over both of their shoulders, pulling them close. Julie rested her head on his shoulder, interlocking their fingers together. Reggie attached himself to Luke, refusing to let him go. The guitarist let out a light chuckle when Reggie wrapped around him, latching onto his arm like an octopus.
“You have nothing to be sorry for Reggie,” Julie promised, spreading their hands over his chest. Luke softly ran his hand up and down Reggie’s arm, the motion calming.
“Want to tell us what happened?” Luke asked, concern evident in his voice. “You can trust us Reg,” Luke promised, tightening the arm wrapped around their shoulders. They settled into a comfortable silence, Reggie didn’t know where Alex went. He had to meet up with Willie after practice, so the bassist assumed they were on their date. Reggie was surprised to find one of Alex’s spare sweatshirts lying just in his reach. He made a grab for it and hugged it close to his chest, letting the soft fabric run through his fingers.
“I don’t know… I just couldn’t - for some reason I thought we were back there ,” Reggie tried to explain, knowing he didn’t exactly make a lot of sense. Julie hummed softly, eyes urging him to continue. Reggie sighed, nuzzling into the nape of Luke’s neck. “My brain started to get this massive headache and everything went blurry,” Reggie continued, closing his eyes as the pain stabbing his head finally disappeared.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Luke asked, rubbing his thumb up and down Reggie’s arm. Reggie buried himself into Luke’s shoulder, now embarrassed by his justification at the time. “Hey, trust us,” Luke said, pressing a kiss to the top of Reggie’s head.
“I didn’t want to mess up practice,” Reggie admitted in a small voice. It seemed stupid now, after the fact, but at the time… at the time he thought Julie wouldn’t like him if he stopped practice just because of a headache. Luke tsked at him, but Reggie could tell he wasn’t really upset.
“You’re more important than practice,” Julie said, finally speaking up. “If you don’t feel good just tell us. We care about you Reg,” Julie said, eyes soft and trusting. Reggie nodded,
“I know… sometimes I just...it’s easy to forget it.”
“We love you Reg, and we’ll always be here for you. Let us know the next time it gets this bad, yeah?” Luke asked, puppy dog eyes activated with that dopey golden retriever smile stretched across his face.
“I love you both too,” Reggie promised, squeezing both Julie and Luke tighter. Alex’s sweatshirt acted like a makeshift blanket, stretched across his lap. “And the next time I… the next time this happens, I promise I’ll tell you.” He believed the statement more than he expected. Reggie trusted Julie and Luke with his entire heart, with his soul , and Reggie knew they’d never make fun of him for feeling insecure. Settling in the arms of his boyfriend and girlfriend, Reggie let the wave of exhaustion wash over him, eyes fluttering shut as he listened to the sound of Luke’s heart thudding in his chest.