Luke woke up that morning alone. He remembered Reggie getting a call before the sun came up, and Reggie hurrying out the door after telling him to go back to sleep. They had been married for three years now, and he had never woken up without Reggie beside him before. But now he was awake, and he wouldn’t be able to calm down until he saw his husband. He went to the shop as soon as he was dressed, knowing Reggie was working the opening shift. He wasn’t expecting to see the love of his life consoling a sobbing teenage boy. Luke recognized him as a regular, and he and his father had come to the wedding. Luke remembered Reggie telling him that his dad was a cop that helped him a lot when he was still living with his dad. Reggie instinctively looked up at the bell, and Luke saw the tears and pain on his face. Julie rushed over, urging Reggie to talk to Luke while she kept an eye on the boy. Reggie pulled Luke into the office, leaving the door ajar.
”Is that Nick?” Luke asked quietly, “Where’s Rob?”
”He got a call last night. Luke, he didn’t make it out.” Reggie cried as Luke wrapped his arms around him.
”So the call you got this morning-“
”It was Nick. He doesn’t have any family.” Reggie pulled back, fiddling with his sleeves. Luke knew he wanted to do something.
”You want to adopt him, don’t you?” Luke asked quietly, already knowing the answer.
”I know it’s insane, but years ago when Nick was still just a little kid, his dad used to bring him a lot more. He used it as a way to check on me, and inspire Nick with his music. I remember offering to be a guardian for him, Rob needed someone to watch him when he worked night shifts, and his mom died years ago from cancer and they were both only childs so he didn’t have anyone else. He used to stay with me and Willie until he got old enough to stay with friends.”
”Do it.” Luke interrupted softly.
”But-“
”No buts, Regs. If you want to adopt him, do it. I’ll be beside you, one hundred percent.” Reggie threw his arms around his husband.
”I love you so much, Luke.”
”I love you, too, baby. I’ll call Flynn’s cousin and get the paperwork started, and then I’ll call Alex and we'll get some of his stuff. Besides, we need something to fill Willie’s old room. And maybe down the line we can fill the other empty room with another one.” Reggie pressed a passionate kiss to his husband’s lips.
”You are amazing.”
Vyxra got the paperwork into the system the same day. Since Rob had made Reggie a guardian when Nick was still a child, the court granted them custody quickly. Reggie spent every day within Nick’s line of sight. At the beginning, when Nick lost sight of him, he would panic. Julie and Willie insisted Reggie take time off, but Reggie knew that music meant a lot to Nick, so he would take him to the shop. One day, as Reggie sat in the corner with him, Nick was just staring out and absentmindedly strumming the guitar. Reggie nudged his elbow, “You still with me, kiddo?”
The fingers stopped.
”Is it all my fault?”
The words pierced a cold wound into Reggie’s heart. Nick reminded Reggie of Luke as a kid, a ball of energy that was infectious and loving and always encouraged the people around him to get up and move. But the boy in front of him was a hollowed shell. Reggie hugged the boy as sobs worked their way through him. “None of this is your fault, Nick.” Reggie squeezed him, trying to drive the words home.
”He has asked me every year if I wanted him to transfer to a desk job. But I always told him no because I thought it was cool he was a cop. If I had just said yes then he’d still be here.”
”Nick, you were just a child, and you still are. The only person to blame is the man that pulled the trigger.” Reggie squeezed him tighter. “Besides, your dad was a man of action. He would’ve hated being stuck at a desk.” Nick let out a watery laugh, and Reggie knew he’d be okay.
After a while, Nick slowly turned back to his usual self. He started going out with friends again, which led Luke to surprise everyone by becoming a helicopter dad. Before Nick left, Luke needed to know who was going, where they were going, and Nick’s phone had to be fully charged, with a spare charger just in case. Alex thought it was funny. Willie and Flynn found it odd, considering he was usually the least thought out of the group. But Julie and especially Reggie just found it endearing.
One day, just after Nick left the apartment, Luke got a call from his mom that they were coming to visit. Which led to now, as Luke paced the shop floor.
”You never mentioned it?” Julie asked incredulously.
”It’s kind of hard to explain.” Luke knew it really wasn’t. Nick had been living with them for close to nine months. “I don’t know how she’ll react.”
”I think she’ll be thrilled.” Alex said answered as he played with his drum sticks. “She kept telling you at the wedding that she couldn’t wait for a grandkid.”
”Yeah, but she was imagining, ya know, a kid. Not a teenager. Especially not one that’s only like a decade younger than us. That age difference makes us more like his big brothers.”
”So?” Alex asked, “What’s wrong with that? We’re brothers.”
Luke sighed. “I need to talk to Reggie.”
Regardless of what Luke thought would happen, as soon as Emily and Mitch were in town, they sat down and Reggie explained what happened to Nick’s father. Emily cried for his loss, and when the tears dried, she asked to meet him. He wasn’t the grandbaby she was expecting, but she took to him immediately. Nick laughed, saying she reminded him of his grandma before she passed away. His voice was small and timid as he asked if he could call them grandma and grandpa. Mitch laughed with tears in his eyes as he told Nick that would be okay. Nick ended up calling Reggie and Luke his brothers, because Luke was right. The age difference wasn’t enough to be any more than that.
After Nick had been with them for just over a year, Vyxra approached Luke. She had found a little girl that had been lost in the care system for a year. Her father had given instructions in his will to reach out to Luke if anything happened to him. And that was how Luke found out Bobby had passed away. He would take time to mourn later, Reggie told him the same thing Luke told him about Nick. Adopt her. Carrie was a ball of spunk from the beginning, and every time Luke looked at her, he saw his old rhythm guitarist. Carrie was only five, but she already had the passion for performing. Reggie offered getting her singing lessons for her sixth birthday, and she was over the moon. Emily and Mitch started visiting once a month, spending equal time with Nick and Carrie. Ray took Nick under his wing when he started to show an interest in photography, but everyone knew that Nick would end up being like Luke. The stage called to him in a way that left people speechless.
When it was time for Nick to be off for college, everyone was emotional. Flynn made sure Nick had something for self protection, much to Reggie’s dismay. Carrie was clinging to his neck, begging him to stay home. Nick smiled, looking between Luke and Reggie and Alex, before petting his sister’s hair and speaking gently, “Don’t you worry, Princess. I’ll be back before you know. Just ask your dads, brothers never stray too far.”