OUT OF THE RED ↝ dave grohl

nineteen.

OCTOBER 10th, 1990, OLYMPIA, WA

             "ARE YOU OKAY, Reags?"

Reagan's head snapped up, her eyes meeting the concerned look that Kate wore on her face. She stared up at her sister, busy sitting on the living room floor with Kody as he rolled around his toy trucks. The little toddler was situated between her legs, cruising a firetruck along Reagan's knee.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

Kate looked skeptical, leaning against the frame of the wall that lead into the living room. She twisted a ribbon of her dark hair around her finger, watching Reagan with suspicion.

"You just seem . . . different."

"Different how?" Reagan pressed. Kody impatiently shoved a plastic garbage truck in her hand, indicating that she join her in their game.

"I don't know. You seem happy, for once."

"Are you accusing me of regularly being an ass?"

"Not an ass, no. You're just more relaxed than I've ever seen you. I don't get it."

Reagan cast her gaze down into her lap, smiling sweetly at Kody as she mimicked truck noises. Her little brother cried out joyfully in response. She giggled.

"You're ignoring me," Kate said directly, joining her siblings as she strutted towards the couch. She flounced down and smoothed the skirt she'd worn to school, looking as pristine as ever.

"I'm not ignoring you," Reagan said, drawing out her words. "I'm kind of busy pretending to be a garbage truck, here."

Kate pursed her lips but said nothing, watching as Reagan returned her attention to Kody. Reagan ignored her sister easily, choosing to funnel her energy into being Kody's source of entertainment rather than Kate's resource for question answering.

She had to admit, she was acting different. The last week of her life had been drastically different than the sluggish norm Reagan had adhered to long ago out of high school.

It had everything to do with Dave, of course.

She still refused to label them as a couple, but so far, there had been no need to do so. They spent as much time as they wanted together, usually at Kurt's apartment where they'd jam on instruments or lay in bed and talk. Or, truthfully, do other things that were strictly limited to a bedroom setting.

Reagan had never been so happy in her life.

She wouldn't have told anyone that, though. Not even Chris, who knew all the details about her and Dave's relationship, was aware of how Reagan truly felt. The positivity she'd once sorely craved had finally arrived in her life in the form of Dave Grohl, the one guy who made her laugh and smile and want to snuggle up in his arms with her head in the crook of his neck.

Not even the daunting prospect of working at Wilson's had dampened Reagan's mood. She either saw Dave before or after those shifts and that was a timeline she was more than content to cooperate with.

Reagan could have denied that she didn't want anything serious with Dave, but everything going on between them said otherwise. And a small part of her was truly okay with it.

"Whose shirt is that?"

Reagan huffed through her nostrils and looked back up at Kate, who was now leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

"What?"

"Your shirt. I've never seen it. Whose is it?"

Reagan tucked her chin into her chest in an attempt to observe the t-shirt she had on. She felt her face warm when she realized it was one of Dave's — a Dead Moon shirt he'd given her after one of their secret sleepovers.