Chapter 1 – The Idea
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"You know who'd be good together?" Luke asked Reggie when it was just the two of them in the garage, the others running late because they had familial responsibilities – Bobby picking up some stuff for his grandparents at the hardware store while Alex drove his little sister to dance practice. "Alex and Bobby."
Reggie, who'd been coloring in a small doodle he'd made on the inside of Alex's discarded jean jacket, paused his efforts to give Luke a confused look. To be fair to him, they had just been waxing poetic about the wonders of chili dogs. The two subjects didn't really overlap, except in a very particular section of Luke's brain.
Fortunately, Reggie dealt out enough non-sequiturs that he had no issue catching up, taking the abrupt change in conversation for what it was. "I didn't think Bobby liked guys," he said, spinning the pink sharpie uneasily between his fingers.
"I think he's ambivalent," Luke offered. "Like, he doesn't care either way. I saw him checking out Mack Mayfield the other day."
And it wasn't like the guy was wearing a cool band tee that was worth looking at or something. Mack was the definition of a jock – tall and muscular and like- boring, but Bobby's gaze had drifted and Luke had seen it. He'd shoved down the strange feeling of what might have been bitterness that he himself had never ranked such a look (he was way better than Mack. Hell, Reggie was better than Mack, that guy was an ass) and tried to focus on the positives. Mack sort of had the same build as Alex, and if Bobby was willing to stare at him…
"Huh," Reggie said, seeming to put the same things together. "If he was interested in Alex, wouldn't he have made a move by now?"
"Of course he wouldn't have," Luke sighed, but not in a chastising way, because Reggie was sensitive to that kind of stuff. Just in a tired way, because well, it was a lot of work to think about this stuff. "He wouldn't want to mess with the band dynamic. Alex wouldn't want to either, they'd never go for it on their own."
"Oh," Reggie said, his brows furrowed together. He sort of looked like a sad puppy. "Then what do we do? Should we talk to Alex?"
"I don't think so," Luke said, abandoning his guitar so he could join Reggie by the couch. He flopped onto its comfortably squishy surface, grinning at where Reggie was curled up in the lone chair. "I think if we're direct about it, they'll just think we're reading way too much into things again, or that we're making a big deal of nothing like we always do, apparently."
"They do say that a lot," Reggie said, a slight pout tugging at his lips.
Luke sympathized. It wasn't their fault that he and Reggie were so naturally excitable, that they liked giving into their enthusiasm and letting it lead the way. So what if it maybe led to a few bad plans here and there? That didn't mean they were entirely questionable, but Bobby and Alex never seemed to take them seriously when it came to heavier things like romance.
But this- this Luke knew in his bones. Alex and Bobby would be perfect for one another – like two dependable ports in a storm, and they could be all mature and supportive and quietly thoughtful together, and then Alex would finally have a boyfriend and Bobby wouldn't have to look outside their group and Luke could live with the knowledge that his friends were with the best possible people, because they were with each other.
"It's bogus," Luke sighed, running a thumb over his knuckles. "We wouldn't joke around about this stuff, but I know Alex would never listen to us."
"Well um- maybe we should just show him, then," Reggie offered, making Luke pause. "Like, if they think it's their idea, they wouldn't think it was questionable, right?"
"Right," Luke said, sitting up as the idea settled in his brain. "What if we just like- arrange for them to do a bunch of date-like things? Then they'll figure out that they're totally made for each other and start dating!"
"And we will be the best bros," Reggie declared, smiling bright. "I like this idea. We can finally do something nice for them the way they do for us all the time."
"Exactly," Luke said, because Reggie was the only one who seemed to get it.
Like, Luke knew friendship wasn't about give and take, but sometimes it just sort of felt like he wasn't bringing all that much to the table. He and Reggie with their tense family situations – it's not like they could offer homecooked meals or a place to crash or rides or anything. They weren't even that good in school, so they couldn't offer that up either. Bobby and Alex had never said or even given the idea that it was a problem, but still, if Luke could give back to them, he wanted to, and this seemed like something he could actually do.
"You and me, Reggie," Luke continued, sticking his hand out so they could shake on it. "We'll go to the park after practice and begin planning Operation: Perfect Boyfriends."
"Oh man, it has an official name and everything," Reggie giggled. "Okay, I'm in."
"In on what?" Alex strolled through the door just as they shook on it, the blond mid-process of removing his earbuds because the car his parents let him use didn't have Bluetooth.
"In on how good looking we are!" Luke chirped, jumping to his feet so he could block Reggie from view, allowing the bassist just enough time to hide both his sharpie and Alex's jacket once more before he popped up and joined Luke in his dance.
Alex just shook his head, making a beeline to his drums. "I'm glad you guys have been having fun."
"Thanks, mom," Luke sang, spinning Reggie with a cheer, and they got in a few more moments of celebratory dancing before Bobby trailed in as though summoned by Alex's presence.
Maybe he had been, Luke certainly hadn't come up with his idea out of nowhere.
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"What do we do?" Reggie asked, spinning the worry ring Bobby had gotten him while they lounged on the swing set on the far side of the park.
Bobby and Alex had been a little confused when both of them had passed on hanging out after practice, something that only intensified when they passed on rides as well, but Luke and Reggie could be suitably distracting when they needed to be. Reggie made up a story about walking his neighbor's dog for spare cash with big, waving arms and Luke pretended he actually gave a shit about his homework (which he'd have to do now because Alex had looked so happy, and he didn't want to disappoint the big guy). They'd headed their separated ways, and then Luke had circled back around the block on his bike and picked up Reggie so they could have their super-secret meeting.
They would have headed towards the skatepark, but there was a good chance Flynn and Willie would be there, and Flynn had a habit of taking anything she suspected as 'hijinks' back to Julie, who would spill it to Alex and Bobby. The other option would have been the beach, but since that was one of their regular hangouts, they couldn't risk it. They had to settle on some place they never frequented if they wanted Operation: Perfect Boyfriends to work.
"It's simple," Luke said, because even if he didn't entirely believe that statement, if he said it confidently enough, maybe he would. "We just follow the advice of all those romcoms Julie picks out for movie night."
Granted, both of them enjoyed the romcoms, but they never said as much, mostly because it seemed kind of weird. Luke was pretty sure she picked them because Luke and Reggie never would for themselves, and as much as they complained about it, Luke knew he at least was secretly grateful. Especially now, when they gave him a sort of working outline.
He elaborated before Reggie could ask him to. "See – the best relationships start off as friends, and Bobby and Alex already have that. Now we just need to put them in as many romantic situations together as possible so they'll eventually figure out that they want to date each other."
"That makes sense," Reggie said, nodding to emphasize this and making Luke feel a swell of relief. He knew it'd be a good idea to tell Reggie. "So how should we start?"
"With lunch, I think," Luke said, even though he didn't really like the idea of it.
Their school had lunch in three periods – A, B, and C, and because of the way their classes had worked out, Sunset Curve had B lunch while Julie and the others had C. It wasn't generally a problem because the four of them had always been just fine on their own, but now it served a useful purpose.
"You want us to not eat lunch with them anymore?" Reggie asked, his brows furrowed because he didn't like missing out on prime Bobby and Alex time either, but sacrifices needed to be made for the sake of your best bros. Their love lives were on the line.
"Just until they get together," Luke assured him, reaching over to give Reggie's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "We'll pretend to have some sort of end of semester English project that we need to work on– maybe extra credit to bring our grades up. That way it won't be fishy if they ask Flynn about it."
There was a definite bonus to being in the same English class. Alex and Bobby were both in AP classes, so it wasn't like they'd notice the difference.
"We'll take advantage of the quiet at school and they can't get mad at us because we're actually focusing on school stuff."
"But we will get to eat lunch," Reggie said. "I mean-"
"Don't worry man, I'll keep us covered," Luke said, because all of them took turns feeding Reggie, who never seemed to have a lunch. Alex would buy extra food from the lunch line and Bobby would pack extra leftovers from his Gran. Luke's parents never kept track of what he ate so it wasn't like they noticed when he brought two of everything. He couldn't cook much, but he could make as good a sandwich as anyone else.
"What's our project going to be about?" Reggie moved on.
"Dude, it's not a real project," Luke said. "We'll just say it's some poetry thing – Alex and Bobby hate that stuff."
"Aw man, you have such good ideas," Reggie chuckled, his swing swaying back and forth a little in his excitement. "Okay, what next?"
"I had some thoughts," Luke said, and that was enough to get Reggie to lean in, the two of them sharing a conversation of furious whispers as they tried to determine the best accidental dates for their best bros.
Honestly, Alex and Bobby were lucky to have them.
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"I would say we have to be subtle, but Alex and Bobby are already oblivious to their blatant chemistry, so I think we can go as heavy handed as we want with this stuff," Luke explained as he and Reggie worked together to hang their string of fairy lights around the small backyard area Gran Wilson had given them to use. All Luke had needed to say was that he wanted to set up a nice surprise for Bobby and there had been instant support, Gran's gaze gleaming with a quiet sort of happiness because she liked celebrating Bobby just as much as the rest of them.
"Oh, that's good, I don't think I can do subtle," Reggie said, steadying the ladder as they attached the light string to the last hook.
Neither of them were exactly interior designers, but Luke was pretty sure they'd redecorated the area enough to give it a feeling of romance. They would have set up a proper space with tablecloths and candles and flowers and stuff, but that would have been a bit much (and Alex had already forbidden them from using candles unsupervised, and those fake ones just didn't have the same flare). They settled for their impromptu picnic setup instead, with a sturdy blanket and pillows to sit on.
They already had the outdoor speaker hooked up to old laptop they used for band stuff that they kept in the garage. He and Reggie had gone back and forth about appropriate mood music for what was probably way too long – most of the recommended playlists they found were either for like, the later stages of romance (sex, they were for sex) or seemed way too gushy.
They settled on a happy medium with Enya, which at the very least would be soothing enough to keep Alex from blowing this entire thing.
"I mean…" Reggie shrugged. "It's not Mick Jagger, but it sort of reminds me of whales, and that's cool."
"I guess there's worse things to think about," Luke agreed with a shrug. "They should be so busy staring into each other's eyes that they don't notice the music anyway."
"Even if it's good," Reggie soothed, and then both of them scrambled to get back into the garage before the other two showed up for rehearsal.
The plan was for them to have pizza out in the backyard after practice, except Luke and Reggie would bail at the last second so Alex and Bobby could have a proper date. It had promise, except when Bobby showed up, it was with his cousin Carrie in tow, Flynn following in behind her.
"I need to not be at my house right now," Carrie explained simply before throwing herself down on their couch, Flynn settling into the armchair next to her like she owned the joint, already taking new selfies for her Instagram.
"Um- okay," Luke said, launching into rehearsal in an effort to distract himself.
This was still salvageable. He and Reggie could just demand to have dinner be a band-only thing. The girls wouldn't like it, but with a consolation prize in the form of Gran's cooking, it wasn't exactly a loss. They tended to think of Luke and Reggie as annoying company anyway. It was fine.
Or, it was, until Flynn wandered into the garage halfway through rehearsal, because apparently at some point she'd wandered out of the garage to take a phone call.
"Is there any reason you have Enya playing in your backyard on loop?" Flynn asked, aiming a confused look at Bobby. "I'm not gonna judge anyone for their taste in music, but I just had an emergency call with Nick and it like, would not end. Why do you even have it playing? There's no one back there."
"Gran must have set it up on accident," Bobby said without missing a beat, but then he glanced over at Luke because he knew. Even if he hadn't seen Luke and Reggie hanging around the backyard, he was too smart not to put things together.
Now if they had a backyard picnic and Luke and Reggie bailed on them, Bobby would know something was up, and then he'd ruin it and not organically fall head over heels for Alex the way he totally should have done by now.
"Enya, Robert?" Carrie asked, deigning to look up from her phone long enough to aim an amused look at Bobby. "You haven't confiscated that garbage for the greater good?"
"Gran is free to rock out how she wants," Bobby said before motioning them to get on with practice, and never had Luke been more grateful for a conversation to end.
Okay, so clearly they'd messed up a little in the execution section. They probably should have waited to turn the music on, but they hadn't wanted things to be fishy with sudden music so they just had on… constant music. It had made sense at the time.
Luke shared a quick look with Reggie.
Obviously, this was going to be harder than they thought.
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Friday night they had a gig, and it wasn't great – just some random house party – but it was enough to get some more footage for their YouTube channel. Luke felt the same electric buzz he always got when performing, throwing his whole body into it as they jammed out – happy to share the mic with Reggie or Bobby, winking at the crowd and letting his fingers fly across his guitar until they jammed like true legends – like Orpheum levels of awesome rather than just some kid's house party.
They tagged out with Julie's band after their set – she, Nick, and Flynn holding down the fort while Willie acted as their amused roadie. For a guy who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, he'd learned a lot about band setup and takedown over the years simply by being in their orbit. It was a hazard of being their friend, but he didn't seem to mind much. Willie was chill like that.
"So what are you thinking, boys?" Luke asked after they'd gotten their gear loaded into Bobby's van. "Snacks or dancing?"
"You want to dance?" Alex asked, seeming more confused than anything else.
Luke didn't blame him, usually he was down for a good mosh pit, but dancing distracted somewhat from the experience, and no matter how many times Luke had heard Julie perform, he wanted to give her the entirety of his focus.
Except for today, because true bro-ship needed to happen.
"Yeah," Luke said. "If people realize Julie's band is perfect for getting down, they'll get booked for more gigs."
"Yeah!" Reggie rushed to agree. "We've got to help our fellow music bros out!"
Bobby and Alex shared one of those unreadable looks that demonstrated exactly why they were perfect for each other.
"So long as we don't dance during Dirty Candy's set," Bobby said finally. "Carrie would kill us."
"Yeah, she gets to do all the dancing for everyone," Luke agreed. It not like he wanted to dance to Dirty Candy's music anyway. It definitely didn't make his hips want to go all shaky. "Alright, let's boogie!"
Luke grabbed onto Reggie before the others could and dragged him into the crowd, hesitating for a second before he pulled Reggie into his arms. It was kind of weird, because it was Reggie and Luke had only ever done this with girls before, but then again, it was Reggie, so that made it a hundred times better.
"Is it working?" Reggie whispered when the singer started spinning him around. "Are they dancing together?"
Luke glanced over his shoulder and sighed, trying to hold in his exasperation. "No," he huffed. "They're doing that awkward guy shuffle thing."
"Where they just kind of sway from side to side?" Reggie asked, grinning when Luke spun him so he could see for himself. "This is tragic, Luke."
"How are we gonna fix it?" Luke asked. "They were supposed to follow our lead."
"Well," Reggie began, his lips pressed together in thought. "Maybe we just need to take a more hands on approach."
He shared a look with Luke – a silent communication of their own because they could be in sync too, and then they were splitting off to claim their poor, hopeless friends. Reggie threw himself at Bobby, grabbing his hand and practically spinning himself, and Luke did the same with Alex, who took his sudden approach with a flail.
"Luke," Alex hissed when Luke tried to spin him. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to lead," Luke said, feeling his tongue poke out from the side of his mouth in concentration. "This would work a lot better if you'd cooperate."
"I'm taller, I should lead," Alex huffed, and then he did just that, which was fun.
His shoulders got more relaxed as time went on, and maybe Luke was enjoying himself a little too much because the first of Julie's songs had been completed before he even knew it.
"Um-" he said before tagging out with Reggie, and when he got to Bobby, the other teen was doing that thing were his eyes got all crinkly when he smiled, something that without fail always made a sort of dull, stabbing pain radiate through Luke's chest.
That time when he and Reggie fell together, Alex and Bobby danced more closely, even if they weren't quite touching. They were sharing some more silent communications, things that seemed hopelessly amused, and every once and a while they would glance over at Luke and Reggie.
Of course, they pretended not to notice, pretended to be distracted by Julie's amazing performance or caught up in their own little world so that maybe Alex and Bobby would take a hint.
Honestly, it was like they had to do everything.
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Saturday morning brought Reggie and Luke to the hiding spot they'd scouted out a few days prior, the two of them hiding behind a large bush at the park down the street from the movie theater they were supposed to meet Bobby and Alex at. First movie of the day on Saturday morning wasn't necessarily the most romantic setup, but it had been a longstanding tradition for the four of them. Tickets were cheapest early in the day, and since their nights were mostly occupied by gigs, early movies had become an easy staple to Sunset Curve's weekends.
Beside Luke, Reggie fidgeted with the binoculars Luke had picked up from a thrift shop. He'd bought it when he'd gotten their disguises – boring, non-rock and roll clothes that would allow them to blend in. For Alex and Bobby they could take no risks.
"Okay," Luke said, looking down at his phone. "I just texted that I couldn't make it."
"And now it's my turn," Reggie sighed, his lips turned down in a pout because he'd really wanted to see this movie.
Honestly, Luke did too. He always liked listening to Alex's snarky commentary, or holding his hand if there were scary parts. If he sat by Bobby, he could bury his face against the other teen's shoulder if things got too tense, secure in the comfort that Bobby wouldn't say anything about it, and he'd also totally share his candy even if it was the only time he ever got Whoppers.
Luke loved movie day, they all did, but he wanted Alex and Bobby to be happy more. Like, they were happy now, but they could be happier, was the thing. He just knew it in his bones.
"The deed is done," Reggie said before raising the binoculars again. "They're still standing outside the theater, though."
"Give them a few minutes," Luke said. "And then they'll go inside and romance each other."
"Man, I hope it happens soon," Reggie sighed, his finger bouncing against the black plastic of the binoculars. "This is really cutting into our hangout time."
"Don't worry," Luke soothed, bracing his hand against Reggie's elbow. "Once they're together they'll only go on actual dates like, a few times a week at most. We'll get them the rest of the time."
Unlike now, where they couldn't because they had to make a point but Bobby and Alex were taking forever to figure it out.
"Um," Reggie said, shifting uneasily. "That might take a bit longer than we anticipate."
"What? Why?" Luke asked before he felt his phone buzz with a new text.
It was from Alex. The drummer said they may as well reschedule for when they were all available and-
"They're coming this way," Reggie hissed, dropping the binoculars so they could hang against his chest before he scrambled for Luke's hand.
He didn't have to say it twice. Luke was already on the move, dragging Reggie deeper into the park, away from the street. They ran, keeping their hats in place as they bolted down the attached street before crossing it, darting through back alleys.
"So," Luke began when they were maybe just the tiniest bit lost. "That could have gone better."
"We left your bike at the park," Reggie pointed out and that was-
Ugh, why was matchmaking so hard?
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Endnotes:
Luke and Reggie are such earnest messes, so like, of course they'd be the ones to hype each other up on ideas that are not so conventional. I love their dynamic a lot because it allows for truly ridiculous things, which is pretty much what this story is. The eventual rom-com that happens for none of the reasons Luke expects, lol. You have been warned ^_^
This story will consist of 3 chapters of story content. I update once a week, on Sundays.
Story notes:
I totally made up Mack Mayfield. If you ever need a random background dude bro, feel free to use him ;)
I like the idea of Luke and Reggie thinking Enya qualifies as mood music in any way possible.
I imagine that any park near a movie theater is like, an urban park or something. It's not huge, just big enough for well-intended schemers to hide and spy as needed.
Normally I wouldn't tag a relationship until it was official in some capacity, but these noodles are so obliviously in love with each other that not tagging it didn't seem like an option.
Until next time :)