Aro Reggie One-Shots

Figuring it Out

"Me and Willie FINALLY made it official!" Alex beams.

"Sweet man!" Luke slaps his shoulder.

"I'm happy for ya, man." Reggie smiles.

"Now we just need to find you a girl, Reggie, we can all go on triple dates."

"Tempting, but no thanks." Reggie says, crinkling his nose at the idea of "finding someone" Why did he need to find anyone? Weren't Alex, Luke, Julie, and his one sided friendship with the rest of the Molinas enough? Surely he knew it was for him, but maybe this was Luke's way of saying it wouldn't always be.

"Oh come on, everyone's gotta have someone." Luke grins, completely missing Alex's glare singling him to shut his mouth before he said something stupid. "What about that purple Dirty Candi chick? I heard you asking for her number?"

"The fact we don't even know her name should signify that's a big no." Reggie says.

"Then why were you flirting?" Luke smiles.

Was that flirting? I thought I was just being friendly. Reggie thinks. Plus I knew the guys were watching and I thought they'd get a kick outta me trying to talk to a Lifer.

"I didn't think I was." Reggie shrugs. "Besides, I already have someone, more than one someone as a matter of fact. I have you two, Julie, Ray, and Carlos. Couldn't ask for better people in my life."

"You know what kind of someone I mean, Reggie." Luke says. "A special someone."

"You guys are special, thank you very much!" Reggie says, offend. He thought his friends were the most special.

"Alright, why don't you stop talking now, Luke." Alex says. "Reg, don't worry about it alright? Not everyone's special someone needs to be romantic like Luke is implying, and I am honored you think I'm so special."

"No, no it's not alright is it?" Reggie asks. "I don't know what all this 'special someone' talk means, I don't understand when you guys talk about Julie and Willie, I don't feel whatever it is you guys are feeling, all I know is... I love all you guys, but it'll never be that and I'll never understand why that is so special. I'm just an idiot who-"

'Hey!" Alex interrupts him. "I'm the only one allowed to call you the I-word, and that's because I never actually mean it, so take that word out of your vocabulary right now Reginald."

"Sorry." Reggie mumbles, fidgeting with his fingers and looking down at his worn and scoffed boots.

"I felt a very similar way when Luke and Bobby never shut their mouths about a girl." Alex says. "Then I realized I was gay and it all started to make sense why I didn't feel that way about girls."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm gay, I don't feel that way about girls or boys, or anybody." Reggie shrugs his shoulders. "I think I'm just brok-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence." Alex interrupts him. "So you're not gay, maybe you're something else."

"Something else?" Reggie asks. "Like what, a stupid friken brick who sits and does nothing and at all and-"

"You need to stop with those self-deprecating comments." Alex says. "I don't know, because I don't know what else is out there, but the good thing about living in the future is the technology. Maybe Julie will let you use her laptop and we can search something up."

***
Later that day, Reggie was thinking about what Alex said and figured maybe he could look something up. It could clear confusion.

"Julie?" He knocks on Julie's bedroom door.

"Hey Reggie, what's up?" She asks looking up from her calc book.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow your laptop to look something up?"

"Sure, can I ask what?"

"Uh...it's kinda personal."

"Okay, no worries. Just bring it back in here once you're done." She hands him the laptop.

"Thanks." He smiles. He poofs to the kitchen and sits at the table, opening google.

What am I even supposed to search? He wonders.

"Why don't I understand romance" he types.

Immediately the screen comes up with a surplus of links to articles and Reddit threads with answers flooded with words Reggie didn't recognize. Aromantic, asexual, queer platonic.

He rubs his eyes, the bright screen and all the words being a lot to take in. Where to even start?

"Hey, what's up, Reg?" Alex appears next to me. "Where's your little Lifer Pal?"

"Ray and Carlos are playing outside." Reggie says. "I'm just doing what you said and looking stuff up on Julie's computer. Not much help though, I'm still confused."

"Can I help? Or is this something you need to do alone?" Alex asks, happy to lend a hand and advice to his brother from another mother, but not wanting to over step of it was a private matter.

"Be my guest." Reggie says, turning the laptop for Alex to see.

"Oh, okay. So you might be aromantic, that's cool." Alex says.

"And what is that? And how do I know?"

"It says here it means you feel little to know romantic attraction, but still feel other types of attraction, like sexual, platonic, ascetic..."

"Yeah...I'm not sure I feel...that first one. But isn't platonic like....friends and stuff because I definitely feel that."

"Yeah, so platonic attraction is a deep emotional connection between friends." Alex replies. "Sounds like you."

"Is this a bad thing? You know, that I'm missing these things?"

"Of course not! I think this is great, Reg." Alex puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Reggie, are you almost done with my laptop?" Julie comes out.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm done." He nods. "Thanks for letting me use it."

"Did you find what you were searching for?" She asks.

"Sure did." Reggie smiles. "More help from Alex than the internet, but that's just Alex for ya."

"Okay, well I'm glad you figured it out. Il loser you guys later." Julie heads back upstairs to her room, laptop in hand.

"Thanks for being so cool about this." Reggie says. "I thought I was stup-" Alex gives him the look. "Sorry, I mean, I didn't think anyone would get what I was feeling, even me."

"Are you gonna tell Luke and Julie?" Alex says. "You don't have to, of course, but you know they'll love and support you no matter what."

"Yeah, I know. I'll probably tell them, it's just, it doesn't even really feel like a huge deal. Ya know?" Reggie says. It wasn't like he would have to introduce his friends into a boyfriend or anything like Alex did after coming out. He's never had a girlfriend or boyfriend and never will, so nothing will really change. So it doesn't seem like anything worth announcing.

It felt like announcing he was a bass player or loved pizza. It was like it was already known in a way.

"If it's important to you, it's important to the rest of us." Alex puts a hand on his shoulder. "Just keep that in mind, Reg."

"Thanks." Reggie nods.

Aromantic. He thinks to himself. The word just felt right. Felt like him.
_____

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
Wishing you all the very best, always stand tall 👻💜