Because it's you (Rei x Arlo)

Prologue

When Arlo first entered Wellston he was one of he strongest in his grade. Already a high tier and had a lot of growth ahead of him. Because of his strength, many other in his grade already respected him as a high tier, but no one was willing to bow down to him. He found that odd. He was king when he graduated from middle school and all the lower tiers had respected him even before he was. Arlo knew he wasn't the king of this school, not yet anyway, but he still expected to be looked at with some...fear you could say. Because Arlo was one of if not the strongest in his grade, he was suggested by the headmaster to meet with some of the royals. "I'll tell the king to meet with you." He had said. 

And that was how Arlo met Rei.

Immediately, Arlo knew he wasn't like the others. Rei had approached him with a smile and said, "you must be Arlo! I'm Rei." The king had stuck his hand out and Arlo respectively shook it. Rei had asked him how his time at Wellston was going, to which Arlo said it was going well. Never did Rei's smile leave his face. He'd asked him what classes he was taking, who he was friends with, and if he enjoyed waffles, but not once did he ask about his level. Arlo wasn't rude and had answered every question the king had asked him, even asking a few himself. To which he learned Rei was a smart kid but wasn't the best at math, was friends with practically everyone, and loved waffles. 

Arlo was going to mention his level and ability but Rei had glanced down at his phone before saying he needed to "split." Rei had thanked Arlo for meeting with him and said he hoped they could be friends before he had dashed inside the school. Arlo had stood dumbfounded outside. He expected his meeting with the king to be more profession, to discuss levels and who else was at the top. But Rei had greeted him like a friend he already knew and only talked about their shared interest. It definitely was new to him, but he didn't dislike it...entirely. 

Throughout that year he'd found himself to slowly become actual friends with Rei. He'd been invited to grab waffles with him once in the morning on a weekend and originally declined, but Rei gave him such a sad look that he eventually gave in. Arlo at some point had met the king's little sister Remi and found she was a lot like he brother if anything a little louder. Regardless, Arlo had satrted to enjoy Rei's presence, and when Arlo became the Jack, he got to see him a little more often and that made him quite happy. 

It was no secret that they had different views. Arlo found out early on that Rei didn't agree with the hierarchy and was against following it, which of course aggravated Arlo. Despite disagreeing about the way Rei ran things, he couldn't bring himself to dislike the older boy. So sometimes he was able to put that disagreement behind him and just follow Rei's lead. It was also no secret that Rei was three years older than him and would graduate eventually. Arlo had never really had a friend that was older than him so he never really cared when the class above him graduated.

So why did he care when it came to Rei?

On his graduation day, Rei had pulled Arlo aside and talked to him. "So you're gonna take over as king next year! And as a second-year at that! The youngest King in the history of Wellston. You proud?" Arlo had felt a bit odd during this conversation. Maybe it was because he and Rei never really talked about the royals of the school. Either way, Rei and Arlo had ended up making a bet. Arlo was to remain king for as long as he attended Wellston, and Rei sure wanted to see that happen. When it came time for Rei to actually leave the school, Arlo found himself not as casual as he felt he should've been, and Rei noticed this. 

"Hey."

Rei gave Arlo that lopsided grin that had his heart doing flips or his eyes rolling every time he saw it. "We're still friends, this doesn't change anything." Arlo had rolled his eyes but he knew Rei meant it. "You have my number, you can call me anytime."

And he did.

Rei and Arlo remained in contact throughout his second and third year of high school. He often called Rei when he needed help, or things weren't going how he wanted at the school. And Rei was always there, with his words of encouragement. "I'm not going to tell you how to run the school. That's something you have to do on your own. But I know you'll get it eventually. People aren't going to listen to you at first and after a while they might still not listen to you, but that's okay. You're one person, and there are other royals who will help you.

I believe in you."

There were other times where Arlo was just bored and called Rei cause he needed something to listen to. 

"Are you saying I talk a lot?"

"You said it not me."

And there were sometimes where they did old things and went out for waffles or walked around the mall with Remi. Occasionally, Rei would just pop up at his door with a smile and usually something for the two of them to do. Arlo enjoyed the fact that he could call Rei whenever he wanted or needed, but what he was surprised to find himself enjoying more was knowing that Rei could call him as well.

Because while Rei always had Arlo's back, Arlo had Rei's as well.

Arlo would be talking to Rei and noticed irregularities and call him out on it. Like if Rei was only giving in short replies, or if there was ever a frown present on his face.

"I'm not upset."

"You're not smiling."

"I don't smile that much."

"You smile enough for it to be concerning when you don't."

Arlo went into his fourth year at Wellston expecting to to be the same as every other year. He was content with the relationship him and Rei had and didn't expect anything to change, nor did he want anything to change.