Chapter Text
Reggie sighed, head in his arms as he plonked himself down on the bench. The three of them were sitting in the school cafeteria; Alex eating his dinner and scanning a science textbook, Luke scribbling in his song journal, frowning in concentration, a half-eaten sandwich discarded beside him. Alex raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement, not glancing up from the textbook.
“What’s up, Reg?”
“No-one will go on a date with me.”
“Okay?”
Reggie sighed again, sitting up and trying to gather his words to explain himself. “You know that ice-cream dessert parlour around the corner from mine, Pietro’s, I think it’s called. They serve the nicest combinations of ice-cream, literally every flavour you could think of; cookie dough, cherry and vanilla twist, crumbled brownie, minty dark chocolate, lemon sorbet, citrus fruits-“ Gesturing with his hands, he listed the flavours enthusiastically, derailing from his original point and instead drooling over the menu. He was getting hungry thinking about them, desperate to go back and try all the desserts.
Alex clicked his fingers in front of Reggie’s face, regaining his attention. “I get the point, so what’s the problem?”
“Oh, right, yeah! There’s this all-you-can-eat couple’s deal and I really want to take advantage of it! That way, I only have to pay once and I can sample all the flavours and work out which ones are my favourite!” He was proud of that idea; he thought it was a smart and efficient way to figure out his favourite flavours. That way, he could work out what his regular orders would be. There was only one problem. “All the girls I’ve asked out have said no. Apparently we’re too old to just get ice-cream for a date.” Reggie pouted, his bottom lip sticking out.
“You’re never too old for ice-cream.” Luke interjected, returning to the world around him as he closed his song journal. He eyed his forgotten sandwich for a moment before pushing it further away. “They just have no taste.”
“Well, that’s what I said. But I’m one person, and a couple’s deal doesn’t apply to just me. But I really want to go.” Reggie whined.
“Why don’t you just go with a friend?” Alex asked.
Reggie stared at him for a moment, confused. “Weren’t you listening? It’s a couple’s deal. I thought you were meant to be smart.”
Exasperated, Alex leaned across the table and flicked his forehead. “What I meant, Reginald, was why don’t you just get a friend to go with you and pretend to be your date?”
Reggie considered it for a moment. It made sense. His friends were more likely to say yes, not to mention, they knew him; it would take away the pressure to impress, take away the need to mask and hide. He could just be himself.
“Oh, good idea!!” He waited a beat. “Do you wanna come with me, Alex?”
Panic washed over Alex’s face and Reggie knew that he’d said something wrong, that he’d accidentally caused his friend a whole new bout of anxiety. He didn’t always pick up on social cues, never noticed subtle changes in expressions, but he knew Alex’s anxiety well enough to recognise the signs. Alex looked down, staring a hole into the table. “I’m sorry, Reg, I can’t.” Reggie opened his mouth to speak, to reassure him that it was okay and that he didn’t need to justify himself, but Alex continued in a rush before he had the chance. “It’s just, I’m having a hard enough time since I came out to my parents, I couldn’t- I just can’t deal with it from anyone else too. I’m not ready to come out to everyone yet.”
“Alex, hey, it’s okay. No pressure, dude. Seriously. You can come out in your own time. There’s no rush. We’re here to support you. We’re not going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Reggie said, reaching forward to pat Alex’s shoulder. Alex glanced up at him, grateful.
“Thanks, Reg. I know you wouldn’t, I just- I can’t help but worry about it, about people finding out. Home hasn’t been the same since. I don’t think it ever will be.”
“I’m sorry, Alex.” Reggie said.
“Yeah man, you deserve better than that.” Luke added, throwing his arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer. “We’ve got your back.”
“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.” Alex smiled. “Can we change the subject though? Thinking about it is setting me on edge.”
“Got it! So since Alex is out of the question, do you want to be my pretend date, Luke?”
Luke grinned. “I’m in.”
“Really?”
“All-you-can-eat-ice-cream? Helping out my buddy? Heck yeah, of course I’m there.”
Reggie drummed his fists against the table in excitement, bouncing his feet. He beamed at his friend. “Thanks Luke! So, the deal basically runs all day next Monday, so it’ll have to be after school, there’s no way I can skip the day, though I wish I could for ice-cream, but I doubt they’d let us spend the entire day there just eating anyway. I think that would be taking advantage a little bit.”
“Wait?” Luke interrupted, removing himself from Alex and leaning across the table. “Monday? Isn’t that Valentine’s Day?”
Reggie swallowed. He probably should have considered why they were holding a special couple’s deal. That part had slipped his mind. “Maybe?” He said slowly. “Is that still okay?” Luke, with his boyish charms and mop of hair, with his sleeveless shirts and toned figure, with his insane vocal abilities, was quickly becoming the heartthrob of the school. Girls would likely be flocking around him, swooning and swarming to spend the famed day of love with him.
Luke shrugged, fingers running through his hair as he readjusted his beanie. “Sure. I don’t see why it makes a difference.”
Alex stared at them both, concern and confusion mixed into his features. “You’re both okay with this? If people from school see you, they’ll think you’re dating. They’ll think you’re gay.”
“I can think of worse things than people thinking I’m dating Reggie.” Luke said, winking at him. Reggie felt heat bloom down the back of his neck, spreading up his ears and to his cheeks. “Plus, they’d be on the right track. I am pan.”
“I don’t know how you can be so casual about it.” Alex grimaced. He shoved his hands in his pockets, worrying at his lip. He was clearly thinking about his own situation again, anxiously overthinking people knowing his sexuality.
“Ice-cream is worth it.” Reggie nodded, hoping to distract him. “It’s always worth it. Plus, there’s these new flavours-“ He dived into describing the house specials, emphasising the amount of toppings and scoops of ice-cream, illustrating his point with his hands. Alex’s posture loosened up, relaxing as he listened and allowed Reggie to ramble. He was still describing them when the bell rang for class.
//
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Reggie considered the gel in his hair. Was it enough to keep it in place? What if the weather turned windy? He added more to be sure, pushing the majority back over his head in a soft curve, allowing only a solitary piece to fall down and frame his face. He looked over his outfit again, for maybe the fifteenth time, hoping it checked both the smart and casual boxes. He’d gone for a red button down (taking care to watch his fingers when he’d ironed it), a pair of black skinny jeans (the only pair he owned without holes), black chelsea boots and his familiar leather jacket. The jacket served as a safety blanket, the familiarity soothing his growing nerves.
He was so nervous. He didn’t understand why. It was just Luke. The two of them hung out all the time – almost every day since they were eight and grouped together for a class assignment. It wasn’t any different. Except it was. They’d have to act like a couple. The thought caused his stomach to knot, twisting his intestines into complex patterns. Reggie closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He thought of the ice-cream, thought of the flavours and the money he could save. It would be worth it.
Glancing at his digital clock, he realised it was almost time for them to meet up. He checked himself over one last time, untucking and retucking his shirt with a frown. Something was missing. Just a little touch of himself. He grabbed his studded belt from the floor, looping it through his jeans and fastening the buckle. That was better. He grabbed his wallet, shoved it in his backpack and dashed out his bedroom door. Thundering down the stairs, he was disrupted by a banging on the door. Reggie flinched, hoping and praying it wasn’t his parents. They’d left him home alone in favour of going out for a romantic evening, but he knew them; if one thing went astray, an argument would break out and all that would go to hell.
Reluctantly, he moved to the door, opening it slowly.
“Hey.” Luke beamed at him, leaning against the door frame. Reggie stared, speechless and shocked. He hadn’t expected to see Luke; they’d agreed to meet at the ice-cream parlour. He was even more surprised by Luke’s attire. Reggie had told him to dress the part but, having never seen what Luke wore on dates, he hadn’t expected him to look so nice. Luke wore an icy-blue button down (sleeveless, of course), the top few buttons undone and framing his collarbones, a silver star pin adorning each side of the collar. He had a red piece of fabric tied around his bicep - a tradition he’d adopted primarily for their gigs, claiming it was his lucky charm. He’d completed his outfit with dress-pants, his usual chains dangling from them, and black vans.
“Uh, hi.” Reggie forced out, realising he’d been silent for too long.
“I’ve got something for you.” Luke said, brandishing a single flower from behind his back. He held it out towards Reggie.
“I- Uh- Um- I- Thanks.” Reggie stuttered, flustered, his brain short-circuiting. He’d never been gifted a flower before, never expected to be so overbalanced by it. His cheeks were blazing and he knew his face was bright, blotchy red. That was embarrassing.
Luke laughed, loud and happily. “Got to look the part, right?”
Reggie nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Timidly, he took the flower, breath catching as his fingers grazed Luke’s. That was weird. He slipped it into a loop of his jacket’s chain and ushered Luke out of the way so he could close the door behind them.
“How come you’re here?” He asked.
“Ah, I thought it’d look more the part if we came together. Also, I can’t remember where it is.” Luke rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “My sense of direction is awful, I’d wander down one of those streets and just never come back.”
Reggie laughed, bumping his shoulder against Luke’s. “Glad you made it here, at least.”
“I come here enough to remember the way. Just anywhere else in your neighbourhood?? Instantly lost Luke.”
They both laughed and lapsed into a comfortable silence. Reggie stared at the floor as he walked, one hand reaching up to retrieve the flower from his jacket and twirling it between his fingers. His other hand hung by his side, swinging as he walked, occasionally brushing up against Luke’s. Reggie’s stomach rolled, alive with butterflies. He was just stressed they wouldn’t be able to pull it off, that they wouldn’t be convincing enough, that someone would see through their ruse.
The walk passed quicker than he’d anticipated and he was faced with the entry line all too soon. Reggie gestured needlessly to it, indicating that that was their destination. Luke nodded, slipping his hand into Reggie’s. Reggie tensed immediately, taken by surprise.
“Relax, Reg, it’ll be fine.” Luke said lightly, smiling at him.
“Okay.” He paused. “It’s just- waiting in a line isn’t my favourite thing.” He didn’t elaborate, but knew Luke would understand the rest. He always felt too restless in queues, too trapped. He could already feel himself getting agitated.
“There’s only three more couples. Hopefully, they’ll be seated fast and we’ll be in.” Luke squeezed his hand in reassurance.
Reggie nodded his head. He wanted, needed, something else to focus on and distract himself with. Drawing his hand out of Luke’s, he knotted his own fingers together, twisting them around each other, spinning them in cycles.
“Hey, you can fidget with my hand instead.” Luke said softly, offering it to him. Reggie took it, one hand underneath Luke’s, and traced the lines of Luke’s palms. “Can I tell you about this music documentary I watched on mtv?”
“Yeah.”
Luke dived into recounting the documentary, enthusiastically explaining what had happened. Reggie dipped in and out of listening, comforted instead by Luke’s soft, excited tone. He knew it didn’t matter; even if he could listen properly, Luke retold stories and events in such a convoluted way that they no longer made sense. Reggie focused on Luke’s hand instead, mapping it out with one finger, tracing the indents, the storylines, the small, white scar and singular freckle. His hands were surprisingly soft, in spite of his calluses, and Reggie distantly wondered if he used hand cream for them.
“Reg?” Luke nudged him.
“Yeah?”
“We can go in now.”
“Oh.” He’d blinked the time away in a second. “Cool.”
Luke smiled at him, taking one of his hands again. He turned towards the open door, leading him inside towards a podium. A waitress stood behind it, dressed entirely in pink. Her cheeks were decorated with hearts. The name tag read “Elizabeth.”
“Table for two, please. We’re here for the couple’s deal.” Luke said politely.
The waitress frowned, eyeing the two of them. She looked unimpressed, or disbelieving, maybe both, Reggie couldn’t tell the difference.
“Do we have a problem?” Luke said. Reggie’s heart was thundering in his ears.
Her face twisted with disdain. “No. If you’d please follow me.”
She led them towards a booth in the corner, far away from the general swarm of people. She probably meant it as an insult, a way to keep them out of sight, but it worked in their favour. Reggie shuffled into one side, Luke the other, refusing to break their linked hands. They rested them on top of the table and Luke squeezed his hand, smiling at him. “What do you want, babe?’ He asked with a wink.
“I want to try everything.” Reggie replied, breathless. He was thankful he was getting ice-cream; the parlour was getting extremely hot and stuffy. He hadn’t remembered it being so bad.
“How about one small scoop of everything, to share?” Luke said, turning his attention to the waitress. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, but wrote it down on her pad.
“Anything else?”
“No, thank you.” She nodded, once, curt, and turned on her heels, marching away.
“Christ. Is she there to test us or something?” Luke laughed, loosening his hold on Reggie. Reggie drew his hand back quickly, wiping it on his jeans. He was overly conscious of how much he was sweating. It had to be the nerves of being caught out.
“We’re in at least.” He said, exhaling in relief. “I’m just excited for ice-cream.”
“Of course, Reginald.” He grinned. “Are you up for pranking her? We could be one of those sickeningly sweet couples to just rub it in her face?” Luke’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he spoke. Reggie was always down for their schemes, always ready to dive headfirst into whatever bullshit Luke had planned. Alex, when he wasn’t joining in or spurring them on, always tried to keep them sensible, but he wasn’t there to restrain them.
“Heck. Yes.”
“Sweet.” Luke offered his hand back to him, palm upwards. Reggie slotted their fingers together, laughing at the intentionally sappy look on his face. “This is gonna be so much fun.”
Luke resumed his recounting of the documentary, his face alive with excitement. His passion for music always ignited a fire in his soul. Reggie listened intently, a little lost and confused, but happy to witness Luke’s enthusiasm nevertheless. It was impossible to not be drawn in by him; it was addicting watching his smile, his shining eyes, hearing the pure, unadulterated joy in his voice. Luke could ask Reggie to do anything and he’d do it without question, if it made Luke light up like that.
The waitress cleared her throat and Reggie jumped, eyes widening in alarm. Luke laughed, tracing circles with his thumb over Reggie’s hand as he turned towards her. Heat blasted Reggie’s cheeks as the embarrassment returned full force; he’d been so lost in Luke, in his enthusiasm, in the sound of his voice, that the rest of the world had faded to grey. He’d stopped existing in this realm and moved to a new one, where only Luke was present, where only Luke mattered.
Elizabeth placed a big, golden bowl on the table, piled high with various ice-creams flavours. Besides it, she placed two spoons and an ice-cream appearance to flavour chart. She smiled at them, her lips twisted into an acidic expression. Unfazed, Luke grabbed a spoon, dipped it into the closest flavour and held it out towards Reggie. Self-consciously, he leaned forward and ate it off the spoon. He hummed with delight before he could stop himself; the ice-cream really was to die for. The waitress scowled and stomped off.
“What flavour was that?? It was AMAZING!” Reggie said, glancing back towards Luke. The latter was watching him, a strange expression on his face; his mouth slightly parted and pupils blown wide. “Luke?”
He shook his head, dispelling whatever had taken over him. “Uh, I have no idea.”
“Helpful, Luke.” Reggie teased, grinning at him.
“That’s me, always helpful, always knowledgeable.”
They both broke into laughter, loud and obnoxious. Reggie caught sight of that waitress glaring at them again.
“Hey, what do you think her deal is?” Reggie asked curiously, gesturing towards her with a head nod. Luke shrugged, dipping his spoon in ice cream again. Instead of eating it himself, he offered it to Reggie.
“I bet her boyfriend left her on Valentine’s day, in an ice-cream parlour of all places, so now she’s taken it upon herself to be the avenging angel of love. It’s her revenge against humanity.”
Reggie giggled, retrieving the other spoon. He scooped up some of the pink ice-cream, making sure to include some of the heart shaped sprinkles, considering it for a second before he held it out towards Luke. Luke smirked before leaning forward to eat it, his face lighting up with happiness.
“Oh my god, Reggie, this ice-cream is incredible.”
“Didn’t I tell you??” He enthused. “I wasn’t exaggerating!!”
“Between spiting her, and that one ice-cream, this is already 100% worth it!!”
“I wish they did deals like this more often so we could come every week.”
“That would be the best!”
Reggie scooped up some more, this time opting for the rainbow coloured one. “If that waitress is the avenging angel of love, what do you think the other waitresses are??”
“That one over there-“ Luke gestured with his spoon, indicating a curvy woman behind the counter, her long hair pinned tightly to her head- “She’s actually here to bring joy to the world. She’s like the polar opposite of miss avenging angel over there, she accepts every couple and makes no judgement. Happily single, but routes for love.”
Reggie nodded, like this made all the sense in the world.
“And he-“ Luke pointed out the male waitress who looked less than impressed to be dressed in pink and hearts-“ Is the son of the owner of this place. He doesn’t get paid, it’s just family duty.”
Reggie burst into laughter. “Definitely not his forte, though I bet Alex wouldn’t mind it so much.”
“It’s definitely more of Alex’s colour scheme.” Luke beamed. “Plus, if he worked here, I bet we could get free ice-cream.”
“No way! Alex would make us pay more than the standard price for harassing him at work.”
“You’re totally right.”
They howled with laughter, leaning into each other conspiratorially as they did. Elizabeth glared at them again, her disdain of them becoming clearer and clearer. Luke rolled his eyes at her, untangling his hand from Reggie’s and shuffling around the booth to drape himself over him instead. Warmth pooled in Reggie’s chest, despite the cold of the ice-cream.
The two of them continued to feed each other ice-cream, making up stories for each of the workers and customers, telling elaborate and ridiculous tales of each of their lives. They gained more and more glances and stares as they giggled noisily and happily, but they didn’t care, enjoying the food and each other’s company, the minutes passing by in seconds.
“That guy that just left, did you see the way he was hurrying?? He definitely forgot about his secret spy meeting!”
“Spy?? No way!! That guy was an alien from another planet, here only for the ice-cream, and he almost missed his ride back home.”
Luke turned back towards Reggie, chuckling, his spoon shaking in his hands as he laughed. It missed its target and instead smeared ice-cream across Reggie’s nose. Reggie grinned, taken by surprise by how cold it was.
“Oops.”
“It’s all good.” Reggie reached up to wipe it off with his sleeve. Luke caught his wrist, stopping him before he could.
“Here, let me.” He said softly, loosening his hold to move his hand up towards his face. Leaning his fingers gently on Reggie’s cheek, he swiped his thumb across his nose. Reggie stared at him, breathless, lost for words. Luke blinked at him, stunned by his own actions, his breath hitching. The silence hovering between them stretched, the air thick and full of tension. Reggie didn’t understand it, couldn’t comprehend what was happening and why it was suddenly a hundred degrees too warm. Luke swallowed, blinked, then removed his hand. The tension dissipated and the world returned to normal, laughter filling the air between them again.
‘What was that?’ Reggie briefly considered, his heart beating way too loudly in his ears. He watched Luke return to the game, naming people and their occupations and decided to forget it. If it didn’t matter to Luke, it didn’t matter to him either.
“So which flavour was your favourite, Reg?”
“Would it be totally predictable if I said all of them??”
“It would be totally you. Personally-“
“Are you ready to pay?” The waitress – Elizabeth – interrupted.
“Oh, uh, sure.” Reggie said, reaching for his backpack to retrieve his wallet.
“I’ve got this.” Luke said, pulling out his card and handing it to her. “What kind of date would I be if I didn’t pay?” He winked, bumping his shoulder against Reggie’s. Reggie felt hot and itchy all over.
Elizabeth disappeared with his card, returning moments later with the receipts. Luke thanked her, smiling politely in his way that could never be condescending regardless of how hard he tried. Reggie thanked her too, overly aware of how clumsy he seemed besides Luke, almost jumping from surprise when Luke grabbed his hand again. He had to stop doing that.
“Let’s go, babe.” Luke said, his breath on Reggie’s cheek. He suppressed the urge to shudder, a chill running through him. He nodded instead, jumping to his feet and pulling Luke after him. Elizabeth watched them as they left, her features warped with open disgust. As soon as the door closed behind them, they burst into laughter, dying over the incredulous looks they’d been getting all night, entertained by Elizabeth’s clear disapproval.
When they’d composed themselves, Luke looped his arm through Reggie’s and walked him back to his house. They stopped outside the gate and Reggie stared at his house for a moment, noting the lack of lights. His parents weren’t home yet. Good. He’d have time to savour his happiness for a bit before it all washed away, drowned out by noise and shouting. But that was a problem for later Reggie. Right now, he could be happy.
Turning to Luke, Reggie tackled him in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around him and burying his face into his shoulder. “Thank you, Luke, that was so much fun!! Best pretend date I’ve ever been on!!” He pulled back, face overtaken by his grin. Luke smiled back at him, his expression soft.
“It was fun. Thanks Reggie.”
Reggie wasn’t sure if it was just the setting sun, or the glow of the streetlights, but he could have sworn Luke was blushing.