Work Text:
Liv hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, trying to ignore the clammy feeling in her hands or the way her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the back of Robert and Aaron’s heads. They were sitting together on the sofa, Robert’s arm slung casually across Aaron’s shoulders as Aaron bounced a giggling Seb on his knees.
Seb squealed loudly as he caught sight of her over their shoulders, waving his hands in her direction, effectively alerting both men to her presence.
They both looked back over their shoulders, lips quirking in soft smiles of greeting.
“You alright, Liv?” Robert said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as she just stood there.
Liv forced herself to snap out of her daze and nodded, moving forward to perch on the arm of the armchair opposite them. She forced her eyes away from the cans of beer on the table, the only alcohol they kept in the house now, and she looked back at the three of them. Even she would admit that the three of them made a cute picture.
“What’s up with you?” Aaron asked, setting Seb on his knee as he looked up at her in concern.
Liv chewed on her bottom lip, suddenly nervous now that she had both men’s undivided attention.
“I—do you know what asexual means?” she asked, wincing internally at how rushed her words sounded.
Robert and Aaron exchanged a glance before nodding.
“Yeah, we know what it means,” Aaron said, “why’d you ask?”
Liv twisted her fingers together as she considered her words. “I think I'm asexual or aromantic or... or maybe both,” she said, her eyes fixed on Seb who was gnawing at his fist, getting drool everywhere. It was easier to watch Seb than watch their reactions.
“Okay,” Aaron said after a beat, his voice casual as if she’d just told him she was going to make a cuppa tea and her eyes flicked up to meet his in surprise.
“I just—after before, ya know, my birthday, I thought you should know,” she said and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears as she waited with baited breath for the other shoe to drop. But it didn’t.
“Okay,” Robert said with a soft smile and a look in his eyes that Liv didn’t understand, “thanks for telling us.”
Liv faltered, looking between them in confusion.
“What?” Aaron prompted, not unkindly.
“You don’t think I’m a freak? Or that there’s something wrong with me?” she blurted out, her heart hammering as her mind raced just as fast and not for the first time today, Liv missed the numbness that Vodka bought.
“You’re my little sister,” Aaron said, “of course I think you’re a freak. But not because you don’t fancy anyone.” The teasing smile slipped into the worried frown that Gerry had called his ‘dad frown.’ “Why would it make you a freak? Has someone said something?”
Liv’s lips twitched as Robert lay a calming hand on Aaron’s knee but he looked equally as concerned.
“C’mere,” he said, reaching out, tugging her down to sit between them and both he and Aaron shifted slightly so they could look at her. “Why’d you think we’d think there was something wrong with you?”
Liv shrugged, her eyes fixed on the coffee table, not looking at either of them.
“It’s not right is it? People grow up and fancy people. They meet someone and... that’s how it’s supposed to be but I—I don’t get it,” Liv said softly, but the words seemed to carry in the quiet of the room. “I’ve never thought about someone like that. I see they’re fit but... that’s it. I kissed Gabby and almost Gerry and I may as well’ve been kissing a wall. So, I read some stuff, and being ace or aro is the only thing that makes sense but... but It’s not normal.”
“Do you think Aaron’s not normal for not liking girls?”
Liv’s head shot up in surprise at Robert’s quiet words.
“No,” she said, looking between them, “of course I—”
“And me or Charity or Ness. Is there something wrong with us because we don't just like one gender?” Robert went on and Liv's face fell.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she said.
“Then if it’s okay for us to fancy or not fancy the people we do. Then why would it be any different for you?” he said gently and Liv blinked back tears. "When you say normal you mean straight and that’s fine. God knows we’ve all been there; we get it. But there is no normal when it comes to sexuality, alright?”
“You are who you are and you like, or don’t like whatever,” Aaron said, “there’s nothing wrong with that. That includes you being asexual or aromantic or both. You hear me?”
Liv sniffed, wiping her cheeks and nodded slightly, letting him and Robert pull her into a kind of awkward hug with her and Seb in the middle
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Aaron asked, his head resting against the top of hers.
Liv hesitated, her lips twitching. Yeah, she kinda did.
“Are you gonna ask me when I knew for sure and tell me I haven’t met the right boy yet?” she said instead and both Aaron and Robert laughed.
“Do we look like Bernice?” Aaron said faux hurt in his tone and Liv laughed slightly.
“Who else have you told?” Robert asked curiously.
Liv shrugged. “Nobody really. Gabby didn’t really get it. I told her right before my birthday and…” she trailed off for a second, not really wanting to remember that night. “Belle told me that I shouldn’t really worry about it, especially what other people think. Jacob was alright and I think Gerry was too freaked out at me trying to kiss him to focus on anything else.”
“Figures,” Aaron scoffed.
“But I wanted to tell you first. Properly, I mean,” she said, glancing up at Aaron.
Aaron smiled, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m glad you did,” he said. “I love you, nothing’s gonna change that and I’m so proud of ya.”
Liv scoffed. “You’re getting’ soft on me again,” she said, but she couldn’t help the genuine smile that touched her lips.
“He got soft a while ago,” Robert said with a teasing smirk but looked back down at Liv and his smile softened. “But I’m proud of you too. You handled coming out way better than we both did.”
Liv pulled a face, looking up at him in confusion. Wondering if he’d forgotten about the alcohol and all the mess with Gabby.
“Alright, you handled it better, not way better,” he corrected.
Liv gave him a soft smile, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
“Thanks,” she said softly and they all knew that it was for more than just today. And now that the anxiety had slipped away, she felt like she hadn’t slept in a week. “Love you.”
“We love you too,” Robert said back.
“And so does Seb,” Aaron said, lifting Seb onto Liv’s lap and he automatically reached for her hair, wrapping his tiny fists around a strand and tugging it towards his mouth making them all laugh.
The front door clicked open and Gerry shouldered his way in, a stack of pizza boxes in his arms. He faltered in the doorway as he took in the sight of the four of them together on the sofa and frowned.
"Sorry," he said hesitantly, "I can go out again if I'm interrupting."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Don't be a muppet," he said, "you bought pizza. Get in here, Liv's gonna pick a movie." He shoved the TV remote into Liv's hand as Gerry grinned, stepping further into the room to set the boxes out on the coffee table.
Liv smiled to herself, not bothering to claim her hair back from Seb as she shifted him slightly so she could load up a movie. Her family was weird and probably the definition of dysfunctional. But she wouldn't change it for anything.