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When Reggie walked into the studio that afternoon, with his favorite t-shirt torn, a bloody nose, and a black eye, Bobby called on every ounce of self-control he had learned through years of being friends with Luke. He did his damnedest to ignore the way his stomach clenched and his pulse started to race, forcing down the color he could feel rising in his cheeks as his temper rose. He meticulously set his guitar in its stand, taking the few extra seconds to make sure he was completely under control, then calmly walked to Reggie, carefully pulled the shorter boy into his arms, and quietly said, "I will kill them."
Reggie snorted quietly, then gasped when that made his nose hurt. Bobby held him gently, silently, and pretended he didn't feel the tears dampening his neck and shirt. As he soothingly rubbed Reggie’s back, he mentally started a list of potential murder victims, already determined that he couldn’t just let this go. It could have been that kid at the skate park that looked at them funny when Reggie gave Willie a hug, or that barista that snorted when Reggie said his name was Darth. Maybe, and Bobby drew in a sharp breath at the thought, it had been Reggie’s dad.
When Reggie eventually pulled back, Bobby led him to the couch and softly pushed him down, catching Reggie’s eye and nodding his intention to go into the bathroom for a moment, unwilling to trust his voice again, unwilling to scare Reggie if he heard the fury that Bobby was trying to push down.
Waiting for Reggie to acknowledge him with a small smile, Bobby moved swiftly into the small bathroom and closed the door. He pulled a washcloth from the cabinet beneath the sink, then turned the water on to warm up while he braced his shaking hands on the counter. He took a few moments to practice some of the breathing techniques they had all learned to help Alex deal with his anxiety, then pulled his phone out. Quickly finding the Reggie Defense Squad group chat, he shot off a message, then silenced his phone and slipped it back in his pocket.
He got the cloth wet with warm water, wringing it out so he didn't drip water all over Reggie’s clothes. After a brief moment of thought, he turned the water to cool and pulled out a second cloth for Reggie’s eye. If Ray was home, he would give them a bag of peas, but Bobby hadn't seen his car in the driveway. The cloth would have to do until Julie got the text and showed up. For anyone else, he would use the spare key and rummage around for frozen peas himself, but he wasn’t willing to leave Reggie alone.
He took a few more deep breaths and made sure he had his shaking under control before he left the bathroom. He would rip off his own arm before he would scare Reggie. He let a feral-sounding growl slip out as he wondered who he would be murdering. Would any of his earlier guesses turn out to be accurate? Bobby resolved to find out, as soon as the rest of their friends showed up to stay with Reggie.
Slipping his mask back on, the one he had perfected to hide his true feelings for his best friend, he stepped out of the bathroom and headed straight to the couch. He gently rested the cool cloth against Reggie’s black eye, quietly murmuring, "Hold that there, sweetheart, I've got you." He winced as the endearment slipped out, hoping that Reggie hadn’t caught it.
Reggie held the cloth with one hand, keeping both eyes closed and reaching out blindly with his free arm, his hand coming to rest on Bobby’s waist without hesitation, as though it had been there a thousand times before. Only years of being friends with the most tactile idiots on the planet made it possible for Bobby to not gasp at the contact, even though his skin felt as if it were on fire.
He closed his eyes for a moment, just to soak in the connection, then opened them and started to gently dab at the dried blood coating Reggie’s upper lip.
"Tell me what happened," he whispered, trying not to startle his friend.
Reggie sighed, a few tears escaping the eye that wasn’t covered with the cool cloth. “I think it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. I’m fine, Bobbin.”
Bobby softly wiped the tears away, grimacing as he cataloged the signs of Reggie’s lie - the flaring nostrils, the eye Bobby could see blinking too rapidly, his leg bouncing. “Yes,” he responded in his driest tone, “I can see just how ‘fine’ you are. Tell me, Gigi.”
Reggie dropped his gaze from Bobby’s, already knowing how this conversation would go, and not wanting to upset the boy he had been secretly in love with for two years. Bobby could always spot his lies anyway, and he didn’t want to watch the anger cross his face.
Bobby reached down and used a finger to gently guide Reggie’s face back up, continuing to tenderly clean his face with the cloth, being careful to keep his face impassive until Reggie squeezed his good eye shut, then he let his mask slip as Reggie started to talk.
“I was in the library after school. Principal Lessa asked me to tutor one of the freshmen that is struggling with algebra. I chose one of the tables in that back corner, where it’s always quiet? Figured it would be better, in case the kid got frustrated. Less chance of disturbing other people in there.” The eye that Bobby could see squeezed even tighter, and a few more tears escaped.
“The kid didn’t show up, so I was trying to get some of my homework finished up before practice. Next thing I know, someone is sitting down next to me.” He started gasping for breath, the tears running faster now.
Bobby tossed the bloody cloth down on the coffee table and cradled Reggie’s cheek. “Gigi. Listen to me. It’s okay, breathe when I breathe. We’re gonna make it through this.”
Bobby started taking exaggerated breaths, never losing the skin to skin contact, keeping his eyes locked on Reggie’s, just in case he chose to open the one he could. After a minute or two, Reggie’s breathing slowed down, and he started talking again.
“When I looked up, it was Chad Becket.”
Bobby cursed before he could stop himself, and Reggie smiled wanly.
“Yeah. Then I looked further, and Roderick Montez and Kyle Anderson were standing there, blocking the way to the table, but with their backs to us. I, uh…I tried to just pack up my books and leave, but–” He cut himself off with a sob, burying his face in Bobby’s stomach.
One of Bobby’s hands was caught between Reggie’s cheek and his own stomach, and he clenched his jaw as he felt more tears falling. He lifted his free hand and started to run his fingers softly through Reggie’s hair, humming a tune under his breath as his mind raced with all that Reggie had told him so far. Gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind Reggie’s ear, Bobby indulged himself in a daydream about the things he would like to do to Chad and his lackeys. His lips curved in a grim smile as he planned his revenge for daring to touch Reggie.
They stayed that way until the studio doors were opened, causing Reggie to jerk against Bobby, but still refusing to look up. Bobby allowed a reflexive sneer to cross his face as most of their friends walked in, secure in the knowledge that they would know it wasn’t aimed at them, his eyes following Julie as she pulled her hand free from Flynn’s and walked over to hand a bag of frozen peas to him, wincing sympathetically when she spotted the bloody washcloth on the table.
Alex pulled away from Willie and approached quietly. When he was close enough for Bobby to hear him, he whispered, "Luke will be here soon. What happened?"
The fire of murderous rage shone in Bobby’s eyes as he quietly replied, "Chad Becket and company," baring his teeth in a snarl, even as his hand continued to soothingly run through Reggie’s hair.
"Fuck," was Alex’s only response as Flynn and Willie joined their group.
Bobby nodded, but before he could say anything else, Luke stormed into the studio, looking ready to cheerfully strangle anyone who had dared lay a hand on one of his friends. He marched straight to Reggie, pushing his friends out of the way, and with a gentleness that belied the anger raging in his eyes, he pulled Reggie away from Bobby, using two fingers to gently tilt his head up so Luke could see.
His voice held a softness that was only there for Reggie when he murmured, “Oh, Reg. What happened?”
Reggie’s eyes welled with tears again, and Bobby reached out to softly wipe them away as they fell. “I don’t even know what they really wanted. They just kept blocking me from leaving, and when I tried to get past them someone’s elbow caught my eye and I fell backwards, and it could have been an accident? I hit my head on the table — they cleared out pretty quick after that, afraid I would go get the librarian, I guess.” He snorted, then winced when it made his nose start bleeding again. “I don’t even know if the librarian was still there. As soon as they got out, I left and came straight here.”
Luke dropped a gentle kiss on Reggie’s forehead, then took the cloth from his nose and headed for the bathroom to rinse it out. When he came back, he handed it to Reggie with a soft smile and a gentle pat on the head. As soon as Reggie had buried his head back in Bobby’s stomach, the smile dropped from Luke’s face and his eyes turned cold. With a significant look at Bobby, he waited for a nod of acknowledgement, then he turned and walked out of the studio without saying a word to anyone else.
Bobby knelt in front of Reggie and cradled his face gently in his hands. “Gigi, I’m gonna go with Luke for just a little bit, okay? Julie and Flynn will stay here with you, so you won’t be alone. I’m not sure what Willie and Alex are gonna do, but no matter what, you won’t be alone, okay?”
Reggie smiled weakly at Bobby, but his eyes remained worried. “Bobbin, please. Don’t do this. Please. I’m okay.”
Bobby could hear the panic in his voice, the desperation, even as Reggie tried to hide it. He closed his eyes and started threading his fingers through Reggie’s dark hair again, trying to think. With a quick glance over his shoulder, Willie and Alex slipped out after Luke, then Bobby slowly sat down next to Reggie, making sure they never lost contact.
****
Reggie sighed as Bobby sat next to him, then he curled himself into the older boy’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
The guilt squirmed in his stomach, making him feel ill. He hated lying, especially to Bobby, but you didn't grow up in a home like his without learning to lie – and lie well – about where the bruises came from.
Reggie couldn’t bear the thought of any of his friends getting hurt on his behalf, but especially not Bobby. He knew that if Bobby knew the truth of what happened, what they had said to him, the things they had tried to do – not even Reggie would have been able to hold him back.
He shuddered as he thought about it, then turned and buried his face in Bobby’s neck. He tried to limit the amount of time he allowed himself to spend touching his friend, but these were special circumstances, and he was going to indulge himself.
Reggie had a sneaking suspicion that Alex and Willie had been sent out to stop Luke from doing something stupid. He didn’t have a lot of faith in their abilities, though. Bobby was generally the only one that could talk Luke down, and Reggie didn’t think even he would have any success this time, not that he would try. Willie was likely to jump in and help Luke, and Alex would keep watch to make sure an adult didn’t find them.
It had been hate at first sight between Luke Patterson and Chad Becket, and not even Bobby had been able to temper that hatred, though he was usually able to talk Luke out of doing anything too stupid. If it were just himself, Reggie knew that Bobby wouldn’t care, but he wouldn’t put his grandparents or his friends through that, especially so soon after the last time.
Sighing heavily, Reggie burrowed deeper into Bobby’s embrace, trying to suppress the shudder at the thought of what Bobby’s Gran would say if he were thrown in jail again.
“Thank you, Bobbin, for staying with me,” he whispered, unsure if Bobby would even hear him, but needing to say the words.
****
Bobby raised his hand to Reggie’s hair and slowly started running his fingers through it. With a single look, he managed to convey to the girls that they needed to leave the garage, then he started talking. “Gigi…I would do anything for you. All you have to do is ask. I thought you knew that.”
He pulled away from Reggie slowly, making sure that they were still touching at all times, and slipped down to the floor so he could talk to Reggie face to face.
Gathering every last bit of courage he had, Bobby swallowed hard, then locked eyes with Reggie. “I wouldn’t have stopped for anyone but you, Gigi, but…I love you. You have to know that, right? I’ve been in love with you for years.”
He held his breath, unsure what Reggie would say, but unwilling to be the first to look away. He needed Reggie to know that he was completely serious about this, but he also needed Reggie completely on board.
Reggie seemed frozen, and Bobby was about to give in and reach for his phone to call their friends when Reggie suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Bobby’s.
Bobby melted, but before they could deepen the kiss or try to talk any further, the door flew open. Their friends all rushed in, with Julie and Flynn trying to hold the guys back, hissing “you’re going to interrupt them” as they came.
Pulling away, Bobby dropped his head to Reggie’s shoulder, whispering, “We’ll talk later, right? Please?”
Reggie tugged gently on Bobby’s hair until he looked up, and Reggie beamed at him. Leaning forward again to press another soft kiss against Bobby’s lips, Reggie softly said, “We’ll definitely talk,” then turned to listen to their friends exclaim as they all yelled that it was about time, and piled onto the couch with congratulations.