imagine Reggie coming up to Julie like "hey, can i get a hug?" all shyly
YOU KNOW WHAT ANON
I’m having a real hard time right now and I’m really unsettled with the election (I’m not even American), so there's actually nothing I’d like more than to write a good hug between my favourite siblings ~
--
“Hey, Julie?”
Julie is in her bedroom, laid out across her bed with her physics textbook, when she hears Reggie’s tentative ask from the doorway. She looks up and finds him lingering over the threshold, wringing his hands.
He isn’t wearing his usual happy-go-lucky smirk and Julie is flooded with concern.
“Reg, everything okay?”
Reggie brightens, but it seems forced. “Oh, yeah, uh,” he says as he scratches his temple. “The guys are out and I was bored, so."
Julie sat up. "Oh, well, I'm just doing my homework. Do you wanna come sit?"
Reggie nods, emphatically and perches on the edge of her bed. His hands still twist in his lap and Julie frowns.
"Are you sure everything is okay?"
Reggie nods. He nods, until he stops, his face crumples and he shakes his head.
Julie jumps up and scrambles to sit next to him. "Reggie," she says softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Reggie, what's up?" She gives him a gentle shake.
"You can talk to me, you know that."
Reggie nods again. "I know," he says in a small voice.
"Then tell me what's got you all worked up like this."
Reggie sniffs and swallows. "It's totally stupid. It's, like, not even a big deal."
Julie dips her head to look him in the eye. "Reginald, if it's got you feeling like this, then it's clearly a big deal."
Reggie worries his bottom lip. He wipes his nose with the heel of his palm. "I know it's dumb and it's selfish and it's not fair on anyone, but..."
Julie raises her eyebrows and waits.
"Sometimes I feel like I don't belong with the band."
Julie baulks and sits up. "Reg... what are you talking about?"
Reggie begins to twist the cords of his bracelets, tighter and tighter around his wrists. "I know, I know, it's dumb. It's... totally unfair to even bring up, but..." He shrugs and his voice becomes quiet and mumbled. His eyes are fixed on his bracelts. "Sometimes I think you guys would be better off with out me."
Julie searches his face for a trace of humour and is appalled when she finds none. She glances down to Reggie's arm, where the skin is growing red as he tightens the cords.
She puts her hand over his bracelets. "Hey," she says, but Reggie doesn't look at her. "Reggie, look at me."
He does. His cheeks are inflamed.
"This band is the four of us. Me, you, Luke, and Alex. Without you, we wouldn't be us. Do you understand that?"
"I just... I know I annoy everybody," he says, throwing up his hands. "It's like, every time I open my mouth verybody gets this same... tired look on their face. Like... Reggie's at it again, saying the wrong thing."
Julie's stomach drops. She knows the face he means. It's a deadpan expression she picked up from Alex. Even Luke imitates it.
But it was never meant to be hurtful, it was never supposed to make him feel this way. It was always, always loaded with fondness.
Because he was their Reggie, who said silly things, and misread social ques, and always looked on the bright side of things.
They loved him and his tendency to say the wrong thing.
"Reggie..." Julie breathes. "Reggie, you are... so important. It's... I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry we made you feel that way."
Reggie's lips twist in one corner and his brows furrow. "No, I– I don't blame you guys. I've always been the annoying one..."
Julie's heart hurts. She twists her hand and opens her fingers, beckoning Reggie's to lace his with hers.
He's tentative, but he does to.
"Listen to me, okay?" Julie says. "There is nothing wrong with you. We love you, exactly as you are." She shakes her head. "I know that's true for all of us."
Reggie seems hard-pressed to believe her so she squeezes his hand to mark her point.
"I don't know what happened to you in the past to make you doubt our love for you, but know that it's never going anywhere. You're one of us, Reg. If anything, you should be the one reassuring me."
Julie's lips quirk into a smile. "You guys were Sunset Swerve, huh?"
Julie's smile spreads and infects Reggie. His eyes crease as he looks to her.
"Sunset Swerve, right?"
Reggie mumbles something and Julie leans in, her finger behind her ear. "I'm sorry, a little louder, I don't think I heard that."
"Sunset Curve," Reggie repeats, louder. His smile is no longer in the corner of his mouth, but spread wide across his lips.
"There he is." Julie laughs, pinching his shoulder. "There our Reg."
Reggie chuckles. "Our Reg," he echoes.
"Exactly."
She smiles at him as he hums, that familiar giddy light returning to his eyes.
And then she watches it dim again, as he twists his fingers together in his lap.
"Julie?"
"Mm?"
"Could I maybe get a hug?" he asks. "If that... would be okay?"
Julie presses her lips together. The fear on his face as he asks for her physical touch makes eyes prick with heat.
She nods. "Come here."
She twists on the bed to face him and draws him to her. Even in death, he is warm to the touch and she twists the material of his t-shirt in her fists.
Reggie buries his face in her shoulder and exhales a heavy breath as he melts against her.
She lifts a hand to hold the back of his head and rubs her thumb down the nape of his neck.
"I love you, Reggie. I'm so glad I have you in my life."
Reggie sniffs. His voice is shy when he says, "I love you, too. I'm glad we got to meet you."
After a moment's silence, Reggie added, "I'm glad we died."
Julie bit back her laugh.
That was their Reggie.
---
Okay, I need people to tell me, truthfully. Am I starting to write repeats? I feel like I might be writing repeats.
Taglist: @rightontheborderz @spookyghostalex
