Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A satisfied smile crossed Alex’s face as he perfected his drumkit setup in the studio. It had been ages since Sunset Curve last played together, and the band was getting ready to reunite for the first time since Bobby went off to tour the New York club scene. Luke was bouncing from foot to foot as he waited for Bobby to arrive, while Reggie was still in the studio bathroom. Willie was out with Flynn and Julie for a besties’ afternoon, getting Flynn’s nails done and pampering her as much as they could. Julie would be back later to be play some songs with the guys, but she had insisted they have some much-needed ‘bro time’. And truthfully, he couldn’t wait to play with the band again. Even though…

“I still can’t believe we’re playing a dance,” Alex mumbled. “I love Reggie’s students, but middle school dances just give me flashbacks to sad, closeted, Alex.”

With a sympathetic smile, Luke bounded over to grip his shoulder.

“Yeah, but now you’re ‘married to a super-hot dance teacher Alex’,” Luke reminded him, “and you know Reggie’s kids are so excited to see us play.”

Blushing, Alex had to admit, he was pretty excited at the thought of getting to re-do his and Willie’s famous wedding entrance mash-up.  

“Come on, I can’t wait anymore, I wanna run some of these riffs before Bobby gets here,” Luke announced, grabbing his guitar. “Reg, come on!”

There was an unmistakable sound of retching from the bathroom. “One second!” Reggie squeaked.

“You okay in there?” Alex called. He and Luke exchanged worried glances.

“Y-Yeah! Just give me a minute.”

“You sure, buddy?” Luke asked through the door.

“Yeah! It’s just, you know…peanut butter and pickles. Messes with the stomach, apparently.”

Luke mouthed to Alex ‘peanut butter and pickles?’ There was more retching, and they were both ready to burst through the door when Reggie insisted:

“All better! I swear!”

The sink turned on, signaling Reggie probably really wasn’t sick anymore. With a shrug, Luke returned his attention to his guitar, finding his chords and grinning as his trusty electric rang out in their old studio while Alex hovered by the door, just in case.

“You guys starting without me?”

“BOBBY!”

Alex’s heart leapt at Luke’s screeching, but he didn’t have a second to think before Reggie burst open the bathroom door, smacking him squarely with the door as the bassist rushed to join Luke in greeting their friend.

“Hey!” Alex whined, rubbing his shoulder.

“BOBBY!” Luke and Reggie cheered together, all grins as they hugged their friend so hard that Bobby stumbled to the ground. The three ended up in one big heap of a reunion, and, well, Alex never could resist a cuddle pile.

“Welcome back, Bobbers!” Alex grinned.

“Hey, Lex,” Bobby smiled.

They all stayed like that on the floor, holding onto each other, all smiles and giggles as they relished in the feeling of nostalgia that always came with everyone being back together…especially when everyone got to be back together here, in the studio.  

“How was New York, bro?” Luke asked. “Did you see John Lennon’s ghost?”

Bobby rolled his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. A suitcase was on the floor beside him, along with his guitar case.

“No, Lucas, I did not see a dead Beatle,” Bobby snorted. “The tour was incredible, though, thanks for asking.”

“Mannnn, I know that! I follow you on Insta! Your tour clips rocked. And those videos of you singing to Carrie all around Central Park? So adorable!”

Reggie grabbed his friend’s attention this time. They all noticed how ghostly pale Reggie looked, and his forehead was a bit sweaty. His hands trembled as he held Bobby’s shoulders.

“Did you bring it?” Reggie demanded.

“Reg, are you feeling okay?” Bobby asked, studying Reggie with concern. Alex instinctively put a hand on his friend’s back to make sure he didn’t fall over; the bassist didn’t exactly look steady, even sitting down.

“He just threw up,” Alex informed him.

“Wait, seriously?!” Bobby asked.

“I’m fine!”

But Bobby was already in mom-friend mode, his eyes narrowing as he stepped up to study his friend. He held a hand up to Reggie’s forehead.

“You sure?” Bobby asked again, his voice soft. “Do you have any of Flynn's ginger chews on you? Alex, can you get him some water?”

Alex was already on it, grabbing some water from their trusty mini-fridge, which Julie had kept from the guys’ days of living in the studio.

Ignoring him, Reggie demanded again, shaking Bobby’s shoulders:

“Did. You. Bring. It?”

Bobby let out a dramatic sigh as he unzipped the suitcase he brought with him, revealing rows of carefully packed containers with authentic New York pizza slices in them.

“Dude, are you sure the greasiest pizza in the world is what you want to eat after being sick?” Bobby pointed out.

“The greasiest pizza in the world is the only thing in the world I want to eat right now.”

Licking his lips, Reggie looked like Christmas came early as he examined the pizza boxes and realized this was really happening. Then, without warning, Reggie’s eyes watered, and Alex thought he was going to lunge right for the pizza but instead he lunged at Bobby again, hugging him tight.

“Have I ever mentioned you’re my absolute bestest best friend?”

“Hey!” Luke and Alex shot.

“Have I ever told you that you’re my absolute bestest best friend?” Bobby replied, smirking at at Luke and Alex over Reggie’s shoulder.

Then Alex’s heart broke in two when he heard the soft sniffling sounds coming from Reggie. While Bobby gently disentangled himself from Reggie’s hug, Luke and Alex quickly moved beside him so they could get a good look at their friend. None of them ever wanted to be the reason that Reggie cried, but lately it seemed like the dad-to-be was constantly on the edge of a breakdown.

“Reg?” Alex helped Reggie sit back against the foot of the sofa. The guys quickly moved to sit with him, Alex and Luke wrapping an arm around him while Bobby sat in front, placing a supportive hand on his knee, his soft eyes studied Reggie with concern.

“Sorry,” Reggie trembled as he wiped at his tired, pale face. “I guess…I guess it just hit me. Everything’s about to change. I mean, we know that. But the baby could be born any day now, and e-everything’s going to be so different. This is the last time we’ll have all this in a long time.”

He waved around to the garage, and a pit fell in Alex’s stomach as he realized Reggie was right. This was their last big rehearsal before the school dance. He was already signed up to help Julie and Luke with a couple songs on their album, but aside from that, they had no plans as a band together in the near future. What if this was the true beginning of the end?

“That’s not true, Reg,” Luke insisted. “Remember, we were worried about that when the band first broke apart?”

“And then Bobby had a kid without telling us in Las Vegas,” Reggie pointed out. “And you met Julie and Alex met Willie and I went to college.”

“But we still found each other again!” Luke exclaimed. The two had run into each other in a laundromat, of all places, after not seeing each other for nearly two years. “Then we worried about the same thing happening again when we all got married and Bobby met Marcus-"

“And now Bobby’s on and off tour, you and Julie are going to start working on an actual album and once that takes off, you’ll be like…legit rockstars. And Alex, you and Willie…” Reggie stopped short, considering it. “Well, nothing big is happening in your life, but you guys have the studio! You guys have it made, you're like all set. You're practically an old marriage couple.”

Alex’s jaw fell open as he froze, realizing Reggie was right. He and Willie were in their second year of running their dance studio; most days simply consisted of keeping their business alive, and they were so exhausted when they came home, they just crashed on the couch and watched Netflix. Sure, Willie still had their skateboarding and their art, but they were basically settled down. He was twenty-four years old and his life was set. Reggie was starting a family, his friends were becoming famous and for him, an exciting day was having the energy to go to the beach in the morning. He and Willie were basically an old married couple.

“My life’s about to completely change,” Reggie went on, his eyes full of worry and fear. “I know you guys are always going to be there-“

“Of course we are, Reg,” Luke promised him, kissing his shoulder.

“But this could be the last time together like this,” Reggie said. They all huddled closer, clasping each other’s shoulders as they stole glances at each other. “It’s never going to be just us again, hanging out in here, eating pizza and rehearsing. And I know it’s selfish because Bobby’s already gone through this-"

“And that’s okay,” Bobby assured him. “It’s a huge adjustment, Reggie. I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard balancing the whole fatherhood thing and work thing and friendship thing. And I know I haven’t been around a lot lately-"

“I…I didn’t mean,” Reggie attempted, shaking his head feverishly, “you have every right to go after your dream, Bobbers. I’m proud of you. You’re like Super Dad, balancing it all.”

Bobby’s eyes brightened; clearly it was the first time anyone had ever called him a Super Dad, and his own heart melted on behalf of his friends.

“Thanks,” Bobby replied with a soft smile. “You’re going to be Super Dad too. I mean it when I say that when your kid’s born it’s like your whole life truly begins. You’re not even going to be thinking about us for awhile. But you’ll find your way, man, you and Flynn, and you know all of us are going to be right there with you. It will be different…”

“But different’s good sometimes,” Alex finished for him, “change is good.”

It was something they all knew he worked hard to accept himself; change had always terrified him. But after seeing himself fall in love, open his own business and get married, he’d gotten a serious confidence boost when it came to dealing with change. Maybe he was in some pretty deep denial over just how much things were about to change for their group, but maybe Luke was right and they were always meant to find each other.

“The universe seems pretty destined to keep us together,” Luke declared, like he’d read Alex’s thoughts. “Things might change, but it’s going to be for the best, man.  No matter what happens, it’s always going to come back to this. Let’s make this the best jam session yet!” He stuck his hand out. “Legends on three?”

Alex, Reggie and Bobby covered Luke’s hand with their own. “Legends!”

Flynn was trying to relax.         

She knew Julie and Willie meant well when they took her out for a bestie day to pamper her before the delivery, but honestly, Flynn wasn’t sure how she could ever feel pampered right now. Her feet were swollen, she constantly had to pee, just walking in from the parking lot made her short of breath, no position she sat in was comfortable, and she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open (she could not wait to indulge in all the caffeine again). But the other two were so excited to be out having one last spa day before the baby arrived that Flynn tried her best to be a good sport…and she had to admit, the prenatal massage felt amazing. Now they all gathered around the nail salon in the spa.

“What about this color for your mani?” Willie asked, holding up a bright yellow. They held up another orange color. “And this color for your toesies?”

“Love it!” She gushed. “And Jules, this rainbow pastel idea from pintrest would look amazing for your mani?”

“Those are gorgeous. Thanks bestie!”

“And Willie, this sparkling purple would look amaz-"

“Gimmie!”  

After leaving the spa, all three of them were more than ready for lunch. Nearly everything made her nauseous these days, but breakfast food was something she could almost always stomach, so she was grateful when they found a nearby restaurant with breakfast food on the menu all day. It was a cool day so they sat outside,. The fresh air felt amazing, butFlynn found it hard to focus. From her seat, she could see a woman holding a baby inside the restaurant while she tried to help her other kid and order food at the same time. Flynn smiled, knowing that really soon that would be her. Her hand fell on her belly as she imagined having a baby stroller beside her, trying to think of what her baby would look like staring up at her. She smiled, imagining Reggie sitting at a table with their baby though, making faces at their kid or making an ‘airplane’ with a tiny spoon to get their baby to eat.

“Flynn?” Julie called.

Shaking herself out of it, Flynn looked back to her friends.

“Hey, sorry,” she attempted. “I was just distracted.”

“You saw the cute baby inside, didn’t you?” Willie teased, wiggling their eyebrows.

“Yeah…” she sighed dreamily, gazing down at her bump. “I’m just really ready to be a mom.”

Julie and Willie both reached for one of her hands, both of them grinning ear to ear.

“I’m so ready for you to be a mom too!” Julie gushed. “I can’t wait until Georgie gets to tag along with us.”

“Yeah!” Willie cheered in agreement. “But are you sure there’s nothing we can get you?”

“I’m fine!” Flynn promised. “I do really have to pee though.”

With Willie’s help, Flynn got up, but as soon as she stood up a cramping feeling hit her, like the tightest, hardest menstrual cramp ever. Crying out, Flynn clutched Julie’s shoulder with one hand and the railing behind her with another.

“Flynn!” Julie cried.

“Maybe you should sit…” Willie said as he pulled out her chair.

“No, I just need to stand a minute,” Flynn pleaded, trying to not panic as it felt like muscles tightened across her belly. Then she realized what this must be: “I think it’s just Braxton Hicks. My midwife told me this would happen. It's not that bad, I promise."

She let out a long, low breath, trying to relax as much as she could through the cramping feeling. It didn't really hurt, she was just uncomfortable. Flynn shifted how she was standing, leaning more against Willie, which felt like it helped some.

“Are you sure?” Julie asked, taking her hand. “I can call 911.”

“Girl, I am not going to the ER, and I am definitely not riding in an ambulance. It’s just one little contraction. I’ve read all about them, this is totally normal.”

Just the thought of riding in a bumpy, speeding ambulance made her feel nauseous, but the idea of rushing to the nearest hospital, just to wait for hours and be told it was false labor sounded even worse.

“It probably doesn’t hurt to be safe though, right?” Willie asked. “I can bring the car around. We can call your midwife, I can call Reggie. I can run into the restaurant and ask if there’s a doctor in the house-“

“Guys, I’m fine!” Flynn insisted. Letting out a final breath, she realized the crampy feeling was gone completely; her body relaxed. “See? All better.”

Her friends still didn’t look convinced as they helped her sit back down, but Flynn felt proud of herself. She rubbed her baby bump.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Julie asked. “Because I still think you should at least tell Reggie.”

“I will,” Flynn promised, reaching for her phone. She smiled smugly to herself. “Imma tell him I kicked some Braxton Hicks butt.”

It was actually a relief, having had her first ever of any kind of contraction. This was really, really happening and soon- not today- but soon. After nine months of anticipation, Flynn was so ready to do this. Of course there was plenty she was nervous and even scared about, but she had always been confident in herself, and becoming a mom was no different. And she had Reggie, who had been the absolute best partner and dad-to-be. Together, they had done all the birthing and parenting classes, watched all the mommy vloggers and read all the books. She knew they were ready for this.

“We’re really in the home stretch, aren’t we?” Julie asked, like it was truly hitting her how clue to the due date her bestie was.

Flynn nodded, and the three of them gazed down at her bump. She took both of their hands, placing them right where she could feel her daughter kicking. Willie let out a laugh at the feeling, and Julie beamed.

“Home stretch!” Flynn repeated confidently. “I’ve got this.” She let out another calming breath before murmuring to her daughter: “I’m so ready to meet you, baby girl.”