#jaz answers jatp

[soemthingsparkly]

omg Alex walking in on Reggie snuggling into his pink hoodie bc he is sad and needed comfort and Alex's heart feels warm at seeing his best friend in his favorite hoodie, knowing it makes Reggie feel safe. Also the hoodie is a big too big for reggie so he looks adorable

fffftttttttt.

OkAY YOU GOT ME.

--

Lucky Pink

Alex is late for his date with Willie but he can't find his lucky hoodie anywhere.

He's checked the studio, under the sofa, up in the loft, and even inside the piano - Luke thought it was real funny to hide his hat there once, but the joke was on him because then he had to deal with one of Alex's messier anxiety attacks.

Still, the hoodie is nowhere to be seen.

Of course, this is LA in the summer and he's made of air anyway and he doesn't need a hoodie but... he just feels better when he has it. When he can hide beneath his hood and fist his hands in the worn cuffs, play with the strings that hang from the collar.

He decides to check the house.

But it's not there.

So he decides to ask Julie if she's seen it and knocks on her bedroom door, but there's no response. He's about to leave when he realises his hoodie might be in there.

He decides just to take a peek.

But when he sticks his head through the door, he's surprised to find that Julie's room is, in fact, occupied, but not by Julie.

Instead, he finds Reggie, under the duvet, face soft and slack, with his head half dissolved in the pillow, eyelashes resting gently against his pale cheeks. Pressed open on the bed next to him is one of the books from Julie's bookshelf - he tilts his head to read the title - Looking For Alaska.

And up, over his lips, Alex spots the pink material.

His hoodie.

His first reaction is pure fury and frustration. Reggie has stolen his clothes before, yes, and that's annoying, but this one? This is his favourite. This is his lucky pink.

His fists clench at his sides and he's about to say something to wake the boy, when a second emotion strikes him.

He drops to his knees and lays his chin on the bed, taking a closer look at Reggie's face. His eyes are red and the skin just around them is blotchy. He shifts his gaze and notices that he's also wearing one of Luke's bracelets and has another clutched in his fist.

Alex sighs and drops his head forward against the soft sheets.

Luke's bracelets, Julie's bed, his hoodie.

Alex hovers a finger above Reggie's face, before smoothing out the stress lines that have taken up a home on his forehead.

"We love you," Alex whispers.

Then he stands and decides maybe it would be nice to feel the sun on his arms that afternoon.

--

I told myself i would just appreciate this hc and not write it but here we are, thirty minutes later.

--

edit to add my taglist:

@chaoslaura @lyra-pador @soni-dragon @fuckin-fudge-nutter @doveflight44 @bowtiesareavenged @redacted-thething@rightontheborderz @spookyghostalex @gutsy-wutsys @julemmaes @khat58 @fangirlwithanxiety @allhailthesanders @random-nerd-3 @alexpjoyner @whale-mafia

[between-two-fandoms]

Conrad is an excellent gift giver. Because even when you think he isn’t, he’s paying attention. He picks up when Nick glances at a fedora in the store window for an extra second. Or watches as Reggie struggles to keep his bass strap from falling apart.

He watches, observes, and takes notes. Storing information away until he needs it.

So he can tape down his grin when Nick gasps at his new fedora.

Or ruffle Reggie’s hair when he exitedly jumps up and down at his new studded bass strap.

Elskdjf @soemthingsparkly!

Yes Khat oml is Conrad the world's best gift giver. He always gives practical gifts mostly, things like pics and strings and strap for Reggie and fedoras and also strings and pics and straps for Nick. Also maybe Conrad sneaks in two tickets to the local $1 movie theater in an envelope for Nick to find.

BUT

While Conrad is the best gift giver he absolutley hates receiving them. Nick knows this. Reggie knows this. Luke knows this.

So instead of directly gifting Conrad things it's always "oh hey do you want this pretzel Con I ordered but I'm full now" and "Conrad! Look at these cool shells Reggie found, we should start a collection!" So Conrad doesnt have to feel guilty about being unable to pay the gift back or give them something of equal value.

Conrad is aware they do this and he loves hates them for it.

Jaz, any thoughts on Conrad's gift giving abilities?

~ Ren

[soemthingsparkly]

i have a non sick boys hc. what if reggie's family life is so fucked that he is not only scared of arguments but also of asking for things? and what if he sometimes used to go hungry bc his parents never did the shopping? and one time he is at julie's house and he is starving and he shyly asks mama rose if there is anything he could eat and she is so ready to fight everyone for his boy she wants to adopt, while julie just wants to hug reggie and never let her brother go back to his house

*deep breath*

Rose would stab his parents if she could.

A late night band rehearsal finds the boys camping out in the studio for the night. When they take a break, Reggie wanders off into the kitchen.

It's past 11 and Julie's always said her parents were the kind to go to bed early in the evening, so he didn't expect to be caught pursuing their cupboards.

"Reggie?"

Reggie whips around and finds Rose, standing in the kitchen with an empty glass. She looks curious.

"Mrs Molina," he stammers. "Hey. Uh, I was just... inspecting for mold." He turns back to the open cupboard and swipes a finger across the inside. "All clean," he says and shuts the door. "You keep a tight ship around here, huh? Alright, well have a good–"

But a piercing pain in his abdomen cuts him off and he grips his stomach, which groans in protest.

Rose's curiosity quickly turns to concern and she puts the glass down, hurrying over to the crumpled boy.

"I'm fine," Reggie squeaks and gasps for breath when the pain passes.

"Are you okay? Are you sick?"

Reggie shakes his head.

Rose's eyes dart to the cupboard and back again. It clicks. "Are you hungry?"

Reggie chews on the inside of his lip. He doesn't make eye contact with her when he nods in confirmation. He's still clutching his stomach.

Rose blinks, her brows knit. "Reggie, when did you last eat?"

Reggie's eyes go up to the ceiling as he recalls. Each second that passes without answer causes Rose's stomach to drop further.

"I had a piece of toast for breakfast," he says finally.

"Oh, okay, good."

"Yesterday. Or... wait what day is it?"

Rose brings a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Okay."

And then she sits him down and pulls a frying pan out of the drawer. "Honestly, Mrs Molina, I'm fine. It's not that bad. You don't have to–"

But a knife's tip pointed into his face cuts him off. "I'm making you my fried beans. They're Julie's favourite."

"I... I don't..." Reggie begins, colour rising in his cheeks.

Rose gets a red bell pepper from the fridge and uses the pointing knife to chop it into thin strips.

"You know, when Julie was little and Carlos was still a baby, these beans were the only way I could get her to stop pouting. She was jealous that he was getting all the attention, which he wasn't but he was a screaming baby, so, you know. But whenever we'd be fussing over him, she would sit and sulk until I said, 'How about we make some of mami's beans?' and it always worked. I made them just for her."

Reggie watches as Rose chops vegetables with skilled familiarity. She dices onion and garlic in quick succession, before throwing them in a pan of heated olive oil to fry.

"Reggie?"

Reggie looks up. Rose stirs the pan.

"Do your parents not feed you?"

Reggie sits up. He swallows. The smell of the onion and garlic had begun to make his mouth water.

"Uh... well... I mean we don't tend to, like, sit down for meal together? Dad is busy a lot with work and mom is..."

Absent? Depressed? Withdrawn?

"She's got her own stuff going on. They just forget sometimes, but it's okay. I mean, I'm seventeen, I'm old enough to look after myself, right?"

Rose closes her eyes for a moment, takes a breath through her nose and releases it through a small hole formed by her lips.

"Be a dear, nip to the pantry and get me a tin of mixed beans, please?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

--

Rose serves up a plate of fried beans and busies herself with the clean up. With her back to the boy, she doesn't hear anything for a moment. She looks over her shoulder and sees him examining the food in front of him.

She turns back to the sink and runs the tap. She's scrubbing the pan when she hears the clink of his spoon against the bowl. And then again and again.

"These are amazing," he mumbles with his mouth full.

By the time Rose has finished cleaning up, Reggie's bowl is empty. He scrapes the spoon around the edge, to get the dregs of the tomato sauce. She smiles and leans back against the counter, wiping the pan with a tea towel.

"Yo, Reggie, what are you doing?"

Reggie and Rose both look up as Luke and Julie stroll in through the back door.

"We said ten minutes, but you've been gone for..." Luke trails off as he notices Rose.

"Oh. Sorry, Mrs. Molina. We didn't mean to disturb you."

Reggie suddenly looks guilty. "Sorry," he says, dropping his spoon into the bowl.

Julie sniffs the air. "Wait... Did you make fried beans?" Her jaw drops and she frowns, ndignant. "You made fried beans and you didn't come and get me?"

"Reggie was hungry, so I made the quickest thing I could think of."

Julie pouts. "I can't believe you made your fried beans without me."

Luke steps over to Reggie. "What's the deal with the beans?" he asks. "They good?"

"Dude, they were incredible."

"For real?"

"Yeah, man."

Luke purses his lips in thought.

Suddenly the fourth band mate appears. "Hey guys, did you find– Oh, hey Reg. There you are. Whoa, is someone cooking? What's that smell?"

And Rose looks around at the teenagers in her kitchen, before she sighs and puts the pan back on the stove. "Alright," she says, "Julie get me two tins of beans. Let's go for round two."

Julie cheers and races to the pantry.

Rose serves up four bowls of beans and slides one across to Reggie. He looks confused. "I already..."

"Seconds," she says with a wink, before turning away.

As she hears four spoons digging in, she makes a mental note to invite Reggie for dinner next week.

--

something like that?

[soemthingsparkly]

WHAT IF after learning that Reggie often goes hungry Mama Rose starts giving Julie two lunches everyday, one to give Reggie? At first Julie is confused because why are we feeding Reggie? But then her mom tells her everything and Julie is like 'haha i'm killing Reggie's parents, mama'

"Here, I had leftovers, so could you please give this to Reggie?" Rose asks, handing her daughter a second lunch bag.

Julie raises an eyebrow. "O-kay... Why Reggie?"

"I just made too much and had leftovers."

"So, why don't you just have it for lunch?"

"Well, it's his favourite."

"Okay... I guess?" Julie says, and packs the two lunches in her backpack. She swings it over her shoulder. "Alright, I'll see you later then."

"Have a good day, my love," Rose says, pressing a kiss to her temple before waving her out the door.

The next day, Rose does it again. Julie peers inside the lunch bag and frowns.

"Mom, this isn't leftovers, you've literally made another sandwich."

Rose hums, innocently. She busies herself by rinsing the chopping board in the sink.

Julie narrows her eyes. "Mom, what are you up to?"

"Cleaning up, Mija."

"No, I mean, why are you making lunches for Reggie? What's going on?"

Rose presses her lips together, before she sighs, turns the tap off, and dries her hands with a tea towel.

"Okay, listen, Julie. This stays between me and you, okay? I don't want you talking to Carlos or the other boys about it, okay?"

A worried crease forms between Julie's brow.

"Okay..."

"I don't think Reggie's parents are feeding him properly."

Julie blinks, then frowns. "Wait, what? Why do you think that? I know they're..." Julie huffs and rolls her eyes, "Kind of awful, but feeding a child is pretty basic stuff, even for them."

"You know when I made my beans the other night?"

Julie nods.

"It's because I found Reggie snooping through the cupboards. I thought he was just looking for a snack, but Julie," Rose leans in. "He told me he hadn't eaten in days."

"What, how? That's..."

Impossible?

Julie tried to recall the last time she'd seen Reggie eating before the other night when they all sat down and enjoyed Rose's fried beans.

Her eyes widen as she realises she can't remember a single incident of Reggie eating around them in the past week.

"Oh my god..." She gasps. "Mom, what the hell, that's..."

Julie grabs the lunch bag and rips it open again. "Do you think this is enough? Maybe we should make him another sandwich... And another packet of chips. You know what? I'm gonna text the guys..."

But Rose puts her hand over Julie's screen.

"Hey, hey, no. No. I told you, I don't want to see you to anyone about it, except me, okay?"

"But the guys are–"

"No, Julie. Nobody. Do you understand? That means not the guys, not Flynn or your brother. Don't bring it up with your dad, either. Not yet. I want to have a word with him first.

Julie lowers her phone. "But, I don't understand why he wouldn't just tell us. We could've helped him sooner."

"Because he's embarrassed, Julie."

Julie looks up at her mother. "Why?"

"Would you want your friends to know that your parents weren't feeding you?"

Julie tries to imagine a world in which that would be the case. It's hard, but she thinks of the pity she'd receive from the guys and Flynn. She imagines they'd treat her like something fragile, something worth doting over.

"Okay. Okay, fine," she says. "I won't."

"Thank you."

"Can he at least come over for dinner, tonight?"

Rose smiles. "That's a great idea, Mija."

[soemthingsparkly]

whatever you do don't imagine that after all the boys are visible to ray, luke and alex come up to ray and say "please if you're ever mad at reggie just never yell at him" all determined because they know how reggie gets when someone is yelling, especially at him

Oh, my poor sweet boy 😭😭

Reggie just can't stand raised voices. Even if it's just Luke and Alex messing about.

One time, they started wrestling and they don't know when Reggie stopped laughing and started quietly crying. They were both so shocked, they thought Reggie was joking around, but he'd hid his face in embarassment.

Loud voices just trigger something in him.

And Alex and Luke make that very clear to Ray.

"We know he has a habit of saying... slightly annoying things," Alex says, talking in a low voice with Ray in the kitchen.

Luke, swats him on the arm. "He just isn't the best read on things."

"He's not a good reader."

"Alex!" Luke hisses, rounding on his band mate.

Alex shrugs. "It took him, like, a month to get through Charlotte's Web."

Ray looks between the two boys. "Guys, can you get to the point? I'm meeting with a client in thirty."

Alex and Luke exchange a look, before putting their serious faces on. Luke presses his fingers to the counter top. "Look if you're ever upset with Reg, for any reason, please, please do not raise your voice at him."

"Raise my voice?"

"Don't yell at him," Luke clarifies. "Or shout. Or even speak slightly louder than normal."

Ray lifts an eyebrow. "Okay..."

Alex wets his lips. "His parents, um, they spent a lot of time... doing that. With each other."

"His parents sucked," Luke spits.

"They weren't great," Alex says with a nod.

"They literally went away multiple times without telling him. He just got home to an empty house. How messed up is that?"

Ray took a breath. "I see," he says, beginning to pack his work laptop and all necessary cables into his backpack.

Luke skated around the island counter to attack from another angle. "That's off course. Look, basically, Reggie's a sensitive guy. He acts confidant, but it's... he's fragile, alright?"

"We just don't want him to get hurt again," Alex says and the room falls still.

Both Ray and Luke look to him. Alex clears his throat and sticks his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"He's our brother," Alex says. "And we've had to watch him suffer so much already."

Luke gestures to Alex. "Exactly." He slaps his hand down on the counter. "Best thing to do is just come to us. If he says or does something wrong, you tell us and we'll handle it. Right?"

Ray frowns. "Look, I see what you're trying to do here. You're trying to protect your friend, I understand, but, and don't take this the wrong way, forgive me if I don't seek discipline advice from two teenage ghosts who ran away from their parents to start a band."

Luke opens his mouth ready to argue, but Ray holds up a hand and he shuts it.

"However, I appreciate you guys letting me know. I would hate to cause him anymore necessary pain, so thank you."

Alex scratches his nose and nods. "You know, probably a good point about the discipline thing." He slides his gaze to Luke. "Come on, he's not wrong, is he?"

Luke huffs and crosses his arms.

Ray reaches out to both of them and pats the air where their shoulders should be. "You two are good friends looking out for him, you know that, right?"

Luke's pout melts into a smile. He shrugs. "Yeah, well, we try."

"But now I really have to get going."

--

As Ray slides into the driver's seat and pulls the door shut behind him.

But instead of starting the engine, he sits for a moment and thinks.

"They literally went away multiple times without telling him. He just got home to an empty house. How messed up is that?"

He makes a mental note to ask Reggie if he'd like to visit the studio with him one day.

And then he turns the key.

[soemthingsparkly]

There's been so much controversy in this fandom (we still don't talk abt cheesecake gate) (it's too soon) but nobody is arguing about whether it's Dirty Candy or Dirty Candi. I think it's for sure 2 because it's a lollipop, the shape of an I

Yah, for sure it's dirty candi.

I can't remember where exactly, but im pretty sure the costume designer confirmed it.

Also love that our fandom discourse is all bullshit, too. Like we really don't have that much to disagree on, we gotta bring in desert debates and fastening items.

Good ol' Jatp tumblr.

[soemthingsparkly]

Mama Rose with Alex is just 🥺

Mama Rose picking Alex up from school because he had an anxiety attack.

Mama Rose watching teen dramas with Alex.

Mama Rose asking how Alex is getting on at school. When she finds out he’s struggling with certain parts of English, she stays up late one night to brush up on the parts that he finds hard. The next day, when he’s over for band practice, Rose pulls him aside and they go over his homework together.

Mama Rose pinning Alex’s A+ on her fridge next to Julie and Carlos’. 

Mama Rose telling Alex to invite Willie over for dinner. 

Mama Rose getting told off by Alex’s parents for intervening in their relationship with their son. They show up at her door one day and his mom goes off at her. Alex turns up that evening with the biggest apology. 

Rose just draws him into a hug. “The most important thing is that you are happy Alex. If you want me to step back, I can.”

“No, please,” Alex says, shaking his head. “Please, don’t. I don’t want that.”

Rose kisses his temple and says, “Then I will always be here for you, Mijo.”

[soemthingsparkly]

i am very sorry for the awful quality but i very simply will not stand for this Alex slander. Luke and his 5’4 vibes is the short one

Got look at that tall boy.

Also Reggie looks like a noodle (in a loving way, of course)

and yeah, you know, baby Luke being a short boy as always.

Gah, I'm just happy I'm getting cute pics of our fav ghost boys in my inbox.

[soemthingsparkly]

WOAH, that did explain it perfectly, thanks, also, i love it, it’s so cool, we Stan

Oh, shit, nice one. I'm glad.

Did you see this beautiful ship diagram that @redacted-thething made for me?

this part kills me cause its mutual

[soemthingsparkly]

OMG THE BOYS COMING TO RAY ARE SO SOFT!!!!! and one time when reggie fucks up sth minor in front of rey, rey turns to him and reggie thinks he's gonna get yelled at and he shrinks and ray is like 'oh so this is what they were talking about'

omg, yeah, anon. 

So one afternoon, Reggie’s helping out in the kitchen - He just loves helping Ray with mundane, homely chores, especially now that he can be seen.

“Here, Ray,” he says, “I’ll empty the dishwasher. You’ve got a tonne of work to do and you have to pick Carlos up from baseball later. Trust me, I got it.”

So he’s unloading and chatting (distracting Ray from that work he mentioned) and then his concentration wanders and the plate he’s holding slips through his suddenly non-corporeal fingers. 

It shatters and Reggie’s eyes go wide. He swallows.

“I’m so sorry,” he utters, tucking his elbows in and clasping his hands together at his front. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I–I...” His chin drops to his chest.

Already Reggie’s eyes are watering and Ray hasn’t so much as said a word.

“Hey, hey,” he says, standing from his desk. He reaches out a hand in an attempt to calm him, but Reggie flinches at the gesture. 

They’re two meters apart and Reggie flinches.

It clicks now. 

Ray understands now why Alex and Luke felt the need to inform him of Reggie’s anxieties in advance. 

“Hey, it’s okay, Mijo. It’s just a plate. It’s a dime a dozen down at the dollar store. Don’t worry about it.”

Reggie clamps his hands to his face and shakes his head.

Ray begins to cross the room in order to comfort him, but Reggie hears him coming and quick steps out of reach. Ray stalls. 

They stare at each other for a moment. 

And then Reggie poofs out.

--

What resolution?

[soemthingsparkly]

Mama Rose’s Mother’s Day

Alex, Reggie, and Carlos make breakfast while Luke and Julie hang up a sign that says “HAPPY MOTHERS DAY” in big purple letters.

Ray has his old video camera out because it just feels like a nostalgic moment that should be with the rest

Rose cried

Ray has to convince Rose to stay in bed that morning.

"It's a Sunday," he says, pulling on her arm as she attempts to get up. "Just take a break, mi amor."

"The kids–" Rose begins, perching on the bed and tying her hair up in a knot on her head. Ray jumps to his knees and pulls the black silk scrunchie out of her hair.

Her jaw drops, but the corner of her lips flick up. "You..."

He wraps his arms around her and flops back onto the bed, taking her with him. "Come on, five more minutes. The kids are fine. They're probably still in their rooms, anyway."

Rose rolls her eyes and gives in. "Five more minutes." She kisses him.

--

When Ray finally lets her leave the bed - he manages to extend five minutes to fifteen by reading Reddit articles to her which make her snort in that embarrassing way she hates - she pads downstairs in her sweatpants and pink sweater to find the kitchen a hotbed of activity.

There are three teenagers in her kitchen, only two of which actually belong to her.

She stops at the bottom of the stairs, blinking at the sight of Alex and Reggie, hovering over a pan of spitting hash browns, bickering quietly amongst themselves.

Carlos is holding a plateful of pancakes.

Rose places a hand over her mouth, taking in the sight.

"Mom," Carlos says, when he finally notices her. Reggie and Alex snap out of their bickering and look up at the woman.

"Oh, morning Mrs. Molina."

"What's all this?" she asks, gesturing to the food.

Reggie grins, cheeks glowing. He picks up the fish slice and prods the hash browns around the pan. He yanks his hand away when the oil spits at him.

"Yow."

Alex pushes him away and takes over, transferring the hashbrowns from the pan onto a plate.

Carlos disappears with his plate of pancakes.

Ray descends the stairs behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Why don't we go through?" He asks, with a grin.

Rose blinks and nods. Ray slips his hand into hers and leads her through the lounge to dining room, where they find a table set with cutlery and plates, syrups and spreads.

Her eyes lift from the table and she notices Luke and Julie, in the process of hanging a banner from the curtain rail.

Happy Mother's Day.

Julie hears them approach and glances over her shoulder. She widens her eyes and hops off her chair, before coughing into her fist.

Luke looks curiously at her before following her nod to Rose. When he sees her, he jumps down from his own chair and grins, crossing to Julie and taking her hand

Alex, Reggie, and Carlos arrive through the other entryway with the rest of the food and place it on the table.

"Kids..." Rose breathes. "This is..."

"Happy mother's day, mom," Reggie says, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"You guys," Rose says, her eyes welling up. "Did you all...?"

"You do so much for all of us," Luke says.

"We wanted to know how much we appreciated you," Alex adds, putting an arm around Carlos' shoulders and pulling him in.

"You're pretty cool, as far as mom's go," Carlos chips in.

Rose can barely see the five kids in front of her due to the tears smudging her vision. She turns and buries her face into Ray's shoulder.

"Guys, she's crying, I think we did something wrong," Reggie says, face dropping slack in panic.

Rose spins and waves a hand, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "Oh no, no, Mijo, this is – this is so wonderful, I'm just... so full of love, I can't take it."

She opens her arms and beckons them all to her. "Come, come here."

The teens flood towards her and wrap their arms around Rose Molina. She hugs them all tight. "I love each and everyone one of you, okay?"

She kisses Julie's temple, closest to her.

"So much."

[soemthingsparkly]

OMG REGGIE BABY NO!! months/weeks later, when the boys notice reggie getting sad and dejected they are on full worry alert because what if he's thinking about it again??

They find out it’s because his favourite pizzeria shut down on the other side of town, after the owner passed away from Kidney failure at 91.

“Mr Tomasz was just... so nice,” Reggie says, crying into Alex’s shoulder. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Yeah, Reg, it sucks.”

“He used to give me free pizza when I was sleeping in that alleyway behind the shop.”

Luke and Alex look at each other.

“I’m sorry, when you were doing what, now?”

--

Reggie keeps accidentally revealing his childhood trauma by accident.

[soemthingsparkly]

before mama rose could adopt reggie, since it's a grueling, long process, she came up to the Peters (ha!) household when Reggie wasn't there, waited until Reggie's parents opened their door and she went "if you ever raise your hand on your son ever again, i will fucking kill you" and then with that she left

Honestly, I think Reggie's adoption process was one of the hardest things Rose ever had to go through.

But I imagine this actually happened before the idea of adopting Reggie was even an option.

Rose started off as Reggie's music teacher at The Harmony Project, where she taught him to play the piano and bass.

Like most of her students, Reggie was from a low income family - and like many of the low income families she'd met, they had their own hardships and stressors.

It was understandable, really. As a young adult, she had had a number of brushes with poverty and she'd never been so distressed in her life.

So, Rose assumed he was like the other kids.

Except when Reggie started to drop little pieces of information about his life into conversations.

"Dad said he'd keep me home from school if I didn't do what he said."

"Mom said she'd tell dad I said I hated him if I didn't clean my room."

Rose started to get a very clear picture of the toxicity of the Peters' household.

It starts keeping her up at night. She'd be laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her poor little bassist.

Then one week, Reggie turns up with a face caked in make up. There are tear tracks cutting through the pale foundation and Rose takes him to the bathroom and gently wipes it off with a cloth.

As Reggie sniffles and weeps, Rose uncovers a devastating truth. Reggie is black and blue.

"Okay, sweetheart, okay," Rose says, hugging him and patting his back. The way he clings with his small fingers is almost enough to push her over the edge.

But they do their lesson and it's a good distraction, even if he does shed some tears throughout the hour, he seems invested in his hand movements and sheet music, that he can forget about the pains on his face and neck.

When it comes time to go home, Rose asks the centre receptionist, who is as pale as a sheet of paper, if she has any foundation with her.

Rose takes Reggie back to the bathroom and reapplies the layer of foundation, being careful to only dab the worst effected areas gently as she goes.

Reggie is quiet now and Rose's eyes dart to his own, before they return to focusing her gaze on her work.

"Honey, you listen to me, alright?" Rose says, dab, dab, dabbing. "We're putting this back on because I think your parents will get angry if they see we took it off you in the first place."

Reggie sniffs.

"And I'm worried that if they get angry, they'll do you more damage." She finishes applying the make-up and recaps the bottle. She puts in on one side and takes his small hand.

He is so small for his age, she thinks.

"And that is the last thing I want to see happen to you, Mijo."

She lets Reggie go and watches as he climbs into his father's Toyota, tugging the door shut behind him. He peers through the passenger window and shakes two fingers at her in a wave.

Rose waves back.

She returns the foundation to the receptionist and asks for another favour...

Later that week, Rose sits outside the beach front property. It's a run down two-storey suburban, beaten up over the years by the strong, salty seaside wind.

She chews her lower lip in thought for a moment, before she climbs out of the car and slams the door behind her.

1:32pm.

Reggie would still be at school.

She knocks on the door and after thirty seconds, its opened by a narrow, pale woman, with curtains of raven-black hair covering a sallow face.

"Hello? Can I help you?"

Rose fastens a smile to her lips. "Yeah, hi, I was wondering if I could speak to Len and Joanna Peters, is this their residence?"

The woman presses her lips together and looks Rose up and down. "Who wants to know?" she asks.

"Oh, that part is not important. I'm just here to deliver a message." Rose takes a step towards the front door and the woman cowers and points a stern finger to her chest. In a low voice, she says,

"If you ever lay a finger on your boy ever again, I swear to god, I will not hesitate to come over here and set your goddamn house alight with you and your husband tied up inside. Do I make myself clear?"

The woman is struck dumb. She stares at Rose wide, sunken eyes.

Rose takes a step back. "If you could just pass that message along to them, that's be great. Thanks."

And she sees herself back down the path, hearing the soft click of the door closing behind her.

She takes a deep, shuddering breath, before climbing into her car. As she turns the keys in the ignition, however, she is halted by a thought:

What do you need to be a foster carer?

[soemthingsparkly]

I feel like Reggie would really, really love “kids” movies. Like so much so that he wants to watch them all the time, because it’s comforting for him. Maybe it brings him back to when things were easier. He gets really into them just like little kids do, songs getting stuck in his head, even getting some stuffed animals of them. And Luke and Alex love him, they don’t really mind, but sometimes they get tired of watching the same one on repeat. And Reggie notices, so he backs off. But I think they’d get concerned when he did, and especially when he’s had a bad day, so they’d sing his favorite songs to try and cheer him up, or pull him down to the couch with one of them playing, cuddling up with their Reggie and letting them know they love him. Sorry for this ramble, I just can’t stop thinking about it🥺

I'll be honest, anon, this feels like a personal call out post. Catch me outside listening to 

But also I can totally vibe with this head canon, like imagine Reggie just rewatching Frozen 2 over and over, especially the scene where Anna sings The Next Right Thing.

Reggie feels that song real hard. 

He's been there too many times; cold, empty, numb.

How many times has he shut himself in his wardrobe, head resting against the cool back board, rubbing his flannel shirts between his fingers, and listening to the dull back and forth of his parents in the next room?

He's not that kid anymore, but he hasn't forgotten what it was like to be him, adrift and unloved.

So whenever he starts to flashback to those moments, he sings The Next Right Thing to himself.

Luke and Alex usually don't comment, but Alex has been dwelling on a comment from his dad all afternoon and wears the tension like a straight jacket and that puts Luke is on edge.

And this energy? Where everything feels dangerously unstable?

This puts Reggie back in the wardrobe.

Even though he's in the studio, he closes his eyes and rubs his thumb and forefinger together, picturing the plaid. He can almost hear the creak of the rotting floor in the next room as his parents shift their weight, lunge and point at one another, a backdrop to shrill yelling and gruff barks.

"Why are you letting him control you like this, anyway?"

"I'm not letting him do–"

"Really, Alex? Because he doesn't want you to be happy and look at you right now?"

"Okay, why don't you try not telling me how I feel, huh? Can you do that for me?"

Just do the next right thing...

"...be a day, beyond this night..." Reggie murmurs to himself, though it's louder than he intended, because Luke rounds on him.

"Dude, can you give that goddamn song a break for one fucking second, please?"

Reggie's eyes snap open. He stares at Luke.

Luke's eyes are wide, his mouth hanging open. He bring a hand up to cover his mouth. "Reggie, I am so–"

Reggie springs up. "Alright, what song are we doing?"

Alex and Luke look at each other, both guilty of arguing in front of the third member of the band.

"Reggie, we're–"

"Maybe we could go through Now or Never again?"

Luke frowns. "Hey, man, we didn't mean to–"

"I don't care."

Luke blinks, startled. He swallows. "I–huh?"

Reggie looks at him, before he looks at the floor. He furrows his brows and without a word, lifts his bass over his head and props it in the stand.

He walks out the studio.

--

Reggie sits inside his wardrobe, scratching at the loose plaster on the wall to his left. There's no yelling this time, but it feels right to be here, to be alone in the dark like this.

His toes curl from the chill.

His parents never put the heating on anymore. Blankets and sweaters - that's how they were going to save money this year.

But they were still broke - now they were just broke and cold.

Do the next right thing...

He kicks out at the wall. He doesn't want that song in his head anymore, and he grinds his fingers against his eyelids in an attempt to rid the lyrics from his brain, "No, Reggie. Stop it. You're so goddamn annoying."

But the music won't stop. He can't stop hearing the tone of the violins, the tremble of the vocals...

Just do the next right thing...

And then it's gone, replaced by the soft knock of knuckles against his bedroom door.

Reggie sucks in his breath and holds it.

"Reg?" he hears Luke's soft call from the hall. "Reg, we're coming in."

And then a short pause, before he hears the faint brush of the wooden door against the worn carpet.

There's another beat of silence, Reggie holding every inch of himself taut, in fear of being caught.

"He's not in here?" He hears Luke say.

"Hold on," Alex says.

Reggie squeezes his eyes shut, pulls his legs tight against his chest, and just wills himself to disappear.

Instead, he's accosted by the harsh light of his bedroom light.

"Reggie?"

He refuses to move his hands from where they cover his eyes and he presses himself harder into the wall. His lips tremble and he flushes hot with shame and embarassment.

Please, go away, he thinks, please, just let me go.

But when Luke kneels down next to him and gently pries his hands away from his face, he gasps and his body shakes as sobs force their way out of him.

"Oh, Reggie," Luke says, his voice soft and layered with love and concern.

The next thing he knows is that he is bundled up in Luke's arms and Reggie's arms are around his neck and he feels his sodden eyelashes stick to the taut skin of Luke's neck as they rock gently.

He takes a breath against his neck and inhales the boy's familiar musky scent. Reggie takes comfort and presses deeper into the crook of Luke's neck.

There's a hand on his back, too, and he feels Alex's presence, sitting at an angle beside them.

It isn't until Luke sniffs that Reggie realises that Luke has started crying, too. Reggie extracts himself from the boy's vice grip and holds him at arms length to investigate.

Luke's eyes are swollen and tears pool in the corner of his lips. He doesn't even bother to wipe them away, he's too busy looking at Reggie.

"Wait, why are you crying?" Reggie croaks, his throat tattered from the early sobs.

Luke sniffs again. "I hurt you and you wouldn't let me apologise and then you just left and I–"

Alex places his other hand on Luke's shoulder and squeezes it. Luke drops his head

"Reggie, I'm so sorry I snapped. I was out of my mind. I was worried about Alex and the band and everything else and I wasn't thinking. Please. Please forgive me."

Reggie squeezes his eyes shut. He nods.

Luke sighs in relief and laughs while he finally rubs the tears from his face.

But Reggie isn't down with his own and he falls against Luke and cries against his shoulder. Alex ends up scooting closer and putting his arms around the two boys, drawing them in, rubbing his thumbs back and forth against their arms.

Then I'll make the choice...

"I love you, idiots," he sighs, the day's tension finally seeping out of him.

...to hear that voice...

"I love you guys, so much," Luke says, hand fisting the material of Alex's t-shirt.

...and do...

"I love you guys, too."

...the next right thing.

--

I forgot how much I loved the Frozen II soundtrack until the entire album appeared in my top tracks of 2020 and what do you know?

Partially inspired by @pixiethefirecat7‘s request, too! Is this okay? Does this fulfil the request I owe you for being such a top student? <3

[soemthingsparkly]

reggie used to always stutter when he was nervous when he was younger send tweet

OH.

A nervous baby.

Poor boy would wring his hands and stumble over his words. The class would snicker behind their hands as he read his book report to them.

The teacher stops him halfway through.

"That was very good, Reginald. Why don't you take a seat?"

Reggie is on the cusp of tears. "But I wasn't finished," he whispers, though he doesn't know why he's protesting. He would very much like to return to his seat now.

Either doesn't hear him or pretends not to, and pats his shoulder. "Who's next?"

Reggie shuffles back to his desk and slides into his chair. He's only sitting for a couple of seconds when he feels something small and solid ping off the back of his head.

He whips around and finds two of his classmates snorting and giggling amongst themselves. On the desk, there are torn up pieces of eraser. He glimspes a chunk of pink rubber on the floor, behind his chair.

He frowns, rubbing the back of his head.

"Fuh-fuh-fuh-fuh," mimics one of the boys.

"Buh-buh-buh-buh," says the other.

Reggie swallows and angry tears swell up again. It just makes the boys laugh harder and they toss another piece at his face. It ricochetes off his nose.

He flushes and turns back to the front. He crosses his arms and decides to ignore them.

But when his bottom lip starts to tremble, he slides down in his seat and watches the minutes go by, all the while, trying not to feel the tiny pieces of eraser bounce off his head, ears, and shoulders.

--

"Dude, come on, we've come all this way, you can't chicken out, now," Luke says, grabbing Reggie by the shoulders.

"Yeah, man, she's like two meters away," Alex says, gesturing to the quiet diner. Inside, a girl with braids stands behind the counter, on her phone. "That's all there is."

Reggie dips his head, his cheeks warm. "It just feels like a mistake. What– what if I've got it wrong?"

Luke groans and bends backwards in exasperation. "Dude, you've been talking about her for weeks. You're so into her and you're gonna keep being into her unless you find out whether or not she's into you. Just think of it, like, a reconnaissance mission."

Alex claps a hand on Reggie's shoulder.

"Yeah, Reg, Luke's right. You just wanna ask her to hang out. It's not a big deal, alright?"

Reggie feels strengthened by the weight of Alex's hand on his shoulder, but he purses his lips. "What do I do if she says no?"

Luke and Alex share a look. Luke rolls his lips, before he says,

"Then you just say okay, turn around, and walk out with your head held high, bro." He flicks the zip of Reggie's jacket. "But if that happens, we'll be right out here for you, alright?"

"We're not going anywhere," Alex agrees.

Reggie takes a long look at his friends before he exhales and nods. "Alright."

Luke grins and puts out his fist. "Alright, man. Kill it."

Reggie's bumps it.

--

When he enters the diner, a little bell overhead signals his arrival. The girl behind the counter looks up from her phone.

When she notices it's Reggie, her face lights up and she pockets the cell.

"Hey, stranger."

"H-hey," he says, lifting two fingers in a wave. "How's it– how's it going?"

The barista shrugs. "Not bad. Julie's out today so I'm working the long shift." She gestures to the coffee machine. "Do you still take it black? Or are you actually managing to get some real sleep these days?"

"Oh, um," Reggie fumbles with the sleeves of his flannel around his waist.

Why is it so easy to flirt with girls that he doesn't know?

Why is it so much harder with her?

"A-actually, I was... um."

Reggie stalls. The words are getting trapped in his throat, all over again. He glances over his shoulder, to see Luke and Alex, hunched together in the parking lot.

Luke says something that makes Alex laugh and the smile Luke wears is proud as he watches Alex throw his head back.

If it all goes wrong, Reggie reminds himself, at least I have them.

"Dude, you okay?" The girl asks.

Reggie turns back around and smiles. "Yeah, sorry. Uh..."

The girl frowns, but it isn't out of pity or discomfort - she's concerned.

He clears his throat, swallows, and says,

"Do you want to go out with me sometime?"

--

@spookyghostalex

[soemthingsparkly]

hey idk if you've actually gone to sleep yet or not but i made the love triangle diagram thing from the other ask bc i am too much of a nervous wreck to even begin to show people my writing but i wanted to contribute to conrad and also i didn't want to study for my music test tomorrow :)

hrjskaheja

i REALLY wanna see!

I hope your music test goes well!

also don't be afraid to show your writing! If you had fun making it, it'll be perfect, because that's what fic's all about. It's about having fun and sharing love for characters and what if scenarios <3