#kelbrey prom
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There Is Happiness (OMORI Kelbrey Fanfiction)
Description: Aubrey hadnât always been this way. She could still remember a younger, less jaded version of herself who was actually excited about the idea of prom. A happier Aubrey who had used to giggle with Mari over the gowns in store catalogs and dream about all of her friends getting dressed up and going dancing together one day. A more innocent Aubrey who used to spend hours making plans for a future that would never get to happen. Her friends never got to go to a prom, and neither did sheâŠUntil now that is...
OR
Nearly a decade after the bad ending of OMORI, Kel and Hero plan a fake "prom" to surprise Sally, drudging up bittersweet memories for Aubrey about her friends--both the ones she had lost and, especially, the ones, who like her, had been left behind to pick up the pieces. Will confronting the past lead her to a brighter future?
Kelbrey Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, & How Their (Functional) Relationship Developed Over Time After the Bad Ending of OMORI. (Note: This is a standalone one shot that is a completely different bad end AU than my other really angsty bad end AU fic).
Relationships: KELBREY (Romantic Kel x Aubrey) CENTRIC (Functional, Healthy, Slow Burn Kelbrey). There are also important platonic friendships discussed & depicted in flashbacks: Aubrey & Hero & Kel friendship, Aubrey & Kel & Sally friendship, Aubrey & Mari friendship, Aubrey & Kel & Sunny & Basil & Hero & Mari friendship [Aubrey & Kel's friendships with Basil, Sunny, & Mari are a recurring & important theme]. Past Romantic Hero x Mari is referenced/heavily implied.
Characters: Aubrey (POV Character), Kel, Hero, Sally, and Mari (Sunny & Basil also appear briefly and are mentioned).
Genre: Slow Burn Romance, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Developing Romance Through the Years, Angst With A Hopeful Ending, Post-Bad Ending, Many Flashback Sequences, Prom
Word Count: 12,748
Rating: T for some heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide).
Warnings: Major Spoilers for OMORI! Heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide). Kissing.
Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another website.
A/N: Unfortunately, I missed Kelbrey Week because I did not know the ship even existed at the time (and had never played OMORI back in the dark ages of a couple of months ago), but I saw the prompts on Tumblr and was really inspired by the Prom prompt. Not only did the idea of "Kelbrey Prom" get a bunch of wheels turning in my brain, it also just so happened to be the prompt on my birthday, so I felt like it was it was just meant to be and I needed to write this story as soon as I had the idea. So I just wanted to offer a word of many, many thanks to @kelbreyweek for the prompt & inspiration for this story. đ
Story below the cut. Thank you for reading!
Aubrey slammed her foot on the brake. She had lived in Faraway Town her whole life and still forgot about that stop sign. She probably always would.
The intersection was bustling today, and there was far more traffic than usual for a Saturday night. Aubrey supposed that was to be expected seeing as it was their local high schoolâs prom tonight, and the streets and sidewalks were filled with gussied-up teenagers in suits and poofy, colorful dresses. Aubrey rolled her eyes, conveniently ignoring the fact that she was in a pink prom dress herselfâbut at the very least it wasnât that poofy.
Aubrey didnât understand all the prom hype, especially now that she was trying to drive with teens darting in and out of the road and the straps of her dress uncomfortably digging into her arms whenever she tried to turn her steering wheel. She sighed. She sounded like such a grouchy old woman.
She hadnât always been like that. The memories were hazy now, but she could still remember a younger less weathered, less jaded version of herself who was actually excited about the idea of prom.
*-*-*
âTheyâre so lucky,â sighed Aubrey glancing up from her pizza to watch the group of teenagers who had just walked into Ginoâs dressed up in their finest suits and prettiest dresses for the prom.
Mari chuckled but patted her shoulder. âDonât worry. Thatâll be you too soon enough.â
âItâll be you sooner,â Aubrey insisted with a widening smile. âYouâll get to go in just a couple of years, right?â She paused, then giggled teasingly. âWith Hero.â
Heroâs face flushed, and he grew suddenly interested in his piece of pizza. Mariâs expression softenedâsomething affectionate passing over her eyes as she chuckled at him behind her hand. She shrugged her shoulders then teased, âI donât know. I might have to think about it,â but she winked at him and the blush in his cheeks deepened.
âWhy do you even need a date to the prom anyway? Canât you just go with your friends?â asked Kel as he practically shoveled pizza into his mouth.
Aubrey rolled her eyes and huffed. âDonât talk with food in your mouth. Itâs so gross.â
âYouâre gross,â bantered Kel, sticking his tongue out at her before shoving the rest of his piece of pizza into his mouth. Â Â
Aubrey huffed again, but Hero gently interrupted changing the subject. âI think people do go to prom in groups with their friends. You donât have to take a date like in the movies.â He paused before turning to his brother with a dry, bantering smile. âBut if you want someone to take you, Iâm sure Kel can.â
âNo way! Iâm not going to the prom with her. Basil can take her.â
âWhaâwhat? Why me?â stumbled Basil, bright red in the face.
âBecause they always have those flower bracelets at the prom in the movies and you know all about flowers and stuff.â
âThatâs called a corsage, moron,â bantered Aubrey. âAnd donât worry, Iâd rather go to prom with Hector than you.â
With a confused tilt of his head, Kel blinked at her. âCan we take dogs to prom? Awesome!â Kel beamed, and Aubrey rolled her eyes. âIâll take Hector then, and Basil can take Aubrey.â
Basilâs blush deepened as he twisted his hands. âWellâŠumâŠI meanâŠâ He paused, swallowing hard. âWellâŠmaybe Sunny can take youâŠ? Heâs probably better at dancing.â
âSunny will take you,â agreed Mari with a warm smile. âWonât you, Sunny?â
Sunny pursued his lips together and pensively stared at his hands. Aubrey wasnât sure but his face seemed a little more flushed than usual. He finally nodded briskly and quietly said, âOkayâ though he wouldnât look up from his plate.
Mariâs smile widened, and she chuckled. âSee, problem solved.â
âI donât understand why we canât just all go to prom together,â sighed Kel. âYou, me, Sunny, Basil, and Hector, and Hero and Mari too even though theyâll be older. We can all just go as friends.â
âThat sounds nice,â said Sunny so quietly he was difficult to hear over the low roar and ruckus of the restaurant patrons.
âSee!â exclaimed Kel triumphantly. âSunny agrees with me. We should all just plan to go together as friends.â
âYou might change your mind when you get older, Kel,â teased Hero with a dry but affectionate smile. Kel grimaced, sticking his tongue out at his older brother.
âNo way!â He huffed then turned to Basil. âYou think this sounds like a good idea, right Basil?â
âWhaâwhat? OhâŠuhâŠyeah okayâŠâ he stammered unsurely.
âAubrey?â
Kel crossed his arms and glared at her, but Aubrey sighed and conceded, âAlright, but only because Sunny likes the idea. It might be nice for all of us to go as friends, but if I get a date, heâs coming with us too, okay?â
Mari started laughing behind her hand as Kel exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and huffed, âWhatever.â
*-*-*
A bittersweet smile tugged at Aubreyâs mouth. How silly they were thenâhow innocent. There was a pang in her chest, even now, so many years later as she remembered how they had spent hours together talking and laughingâmaking plans for a future that would never get to happen. She remembered how she used to giggle with Mari over the evening gowns in department store catalogs, sighing wistfully at the billboards advertising that yearâs prom theme at the local high school, and dreaming of the day theyâd get to go to one themselves. Aubreyâs chest ached as she sighed. Mari never got to go to a prom, and neither did sheâŠ
*-*-*
Tears prickled in Aubreyâs eyes as she glanced over the unworn prom dress still hanging up on the back of the closet door. She would probably feel better if she just shoved it into the back of her closet, but she couldnât bring herself to. She had worked so hard for that dressâpicking up extra shifts at Ginoâs to afford such a luxury. She had justified it by reminding herself it was probably the only time in her life that she would get to wear such a dress, and this one was exactly what she had always dreamed: deep pink, floor-length chiffon. As soon as she saw it in the department store, a real, genuine smile had tugged at her mouth for the first time in so long that the sensation had felt almost foreign to her. And when she had finally bought the dress and tried it on for her friends to see, Charlene had quietly said she looked happy in it. She didnât need to add that Aubrey hadnât looked happy for a very long time.
A tear streamed down Aubreyâs cheek. She had wanted to wear that dress and go to the prom, but she just couldnâtânot today. Not now. Not without them.
Aubrey sniffledârubbing her hand across her throbbing forehead. Her headache was so severe that she was actually starting to hear the pounding of her head. Or at least she thought she was until her mother called in a slurred, irritated voice, Â Â
âAubrey! Get the door.â
Aubrey quickly wiped her eyes and scurried downstairs.
âTell them whatever theyâre selling we donât want it,â her mother added with a dismissive wave of her hand as Aubrey walked by the couch carefully tiptoeing around the empty liquor bottles which littered the ground.
Aubrey wasnât sure who was at their front door, but she doubted a salesman would be bothering them at this time of night. Still she mumbled, âOkayâ as she turned the bolts of the lock and opened the door.
âHey, Aubrey,â said Kel with a slight wave of his hand and a friendly smile. âHowâs it going?â
Aubrey could only blink at him. He was dressed in a nice, dark suit with an unexpected bright pink tie. If she had been feeling better, she probably wouldâve thought of a dry quip to tease him about it but instead she just sighed, ushering him out onto the porch before her mother got irritated by the noise.
âKel, what are you doing here?â she asked through her teeth. âArenât you supposed to be at prom?â
Kel shrugged. âI was there for a while, but you werenât there so I thought Iâd come check on you.â
âSorryâŠââAubreyâs face flushedââI tried to call youâŠâ
âI know,â he interrupted. âI got your message. Is everything okay?â
âYeah, Iâm fine. Itâs justâŠIâŠuhâŠwasnât feeling up to it.â Aubrey sighed, hoping that Kel wouldnât read too much into it.
âOhâŠare you feeling sick? The pharmacy should still be open. I can run down toââ
âNo, Kel,â she cut him off, placing her hand on his arm. âThat isâŠuhâŠIâm fine. You should go back to the prom. I donât want to ruin your night.â
Kelâs expression softened, and he smiled at her. âDonât worry about it. The prom was kind of boring without you anyway.â He paused. âYou sure you donât want toâ?â
âYeah,â she cut him off just a little too forcefully, trying her best to frown despite her flushed face.
âOkayâŠâ he said quietly. âThenâŠdo you mind if I hang out here for a little while?â
Aubreyâs face grew warm with guilt and embarrassment. Just because she had ruined her own night didnât mean she had to ruin Kelâs as well. âYou really donât have to do that.â
âNah. I want to. Iâd rather spend tonight with you than at the dumb prom anyway.â
âKel, I canât let you do that,â she insisted, but he smiled at her.
âItâs just a bunch of people dancing and stuffâand sure thatâs fun and all but itâs not as cool as everyone acts like it is.â He shrugged his shoulders. âThey did hang all these Christmas lights from the ceiling though and that was kinda coolâsince the theme is âA Night Under the Stars.ââ Sighing, Kel took a seat on the porchâleaning back on his hands and looking up at the sky. âBut there are real stars out here which are better anyway.â
âKelâŠâ Aubrey began to argue, but she wasnât sure what to say. âYou canât just miss your prom.â
âSure I can,â he shrugged with matter-of-fact nonchalance. âYou are, arenât you? And the prom always mattered way more to you. You were really looking forward to itâŠâ Kelâs brow furrowed thoughtfully. âDid someone break your heart or something so you didnât want to come anymore?â
Aubrey stifled a breathy chuckle but shook her head. âNo. Nothing like that. I wasnât even planning on going with a date.â She paused, glancing over at Kelâs pink tie. âWonât your date be upset that you left?â
âOh uhâŠâ chuckled Kel awkwardly, fidgeting with his tie. âI didnât go with one.â
âReally?â The question slipped out before Aubrey could think to stop it, but Kel just shrugged his shoulders.
âYep.â He paused and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. âTo tell you the truth, IâI kind of wanted to ask this one girl, but it didnât work out. Oh wellâŠâ
Aubrey paused. While he was one of her best friends, they never really discussed their love lives or lack thereof. She didnât even know Kel was romantically interested in anyone and couldnât even begin to guess who it was. She supposed it was none of her business, but if Kel had left prom early because of this girl rather than just to check on her, it would certainly help her feel better about things.
âIs she the reason you left?â asked Aubrey taking a seat next to him on the porch.
Kel froze, and his cheeks flushed. âWhaâwhat?â he stumbled, more awkward than she ever wouldâve expected from the happy-go-lucky Kel. He chuckled lightly but didnât say no.
âItâs okay if she is. I wasnât going to tease you or anything. I justââ She stopped. âI just donât want to you miss out,â she said in a shaky voice. âEspecially not because of me.â
âI already said donât worry about it. Iâd rather spend prom night with you, even if we donât actually go to the prom.â Aubreyâs mouth twitched, she could almost hear the smile in his voice, but she frowned with a heavy sigh.
âBut you already missed the last oneâŠâ
âBecause Basilââ Kelâs voice cracked. He didnât finish that statement, but he didnât have to. Basil had died just a few weeks before their Junior Prom and the last thing either of them had wanted to do was go to some big party, especially one that Basil should have been attending himself, and instead they had spent prom night at the spot in the park where they had always had picnics with their friends, then sitting around Kelâs kitchen table looking through Basilâs old photo albums.
Aubrey had never told Kel that she had been considering skipping prom months before Basilâs death anyway, too saddened by the idea of having to go without Sunny and of Mari having never been able to go to hers. Basilâs death and the note he left behind for them was the final straw. She wouldnât have blamed Kel if he had still wanted to go himself, but he had told her he was just too sad. She could understand that. Back then, it really felt like neither of them would ever be happy again.
But this year⊠she had been so determined, so set on going and trying to have to good time because she knew her friends wouldnât want her to miss out on it on their account. Aubreyâs insides twisted, and her eyes burned, tears prickling behind them again.
âAubrey?â When she turned to look at him, the faint flush of red had faded from his cheeks and his expression had softened but a look of concern quickly passed over his eyes. âHave you been crying?â
Aubreyâs face grew hot, and she swallowed hard as she frantically swiped at her eyes again. How red and puffy were they that Kel had noticed? âYou canât just ask someone that, Kel,â she replied with a shaky, bantering huff, but Kel only blinked at her.
âDo you want to talk about it?â he asked, and Aubrey bit her lip. She couldnât believe himâskipping over the âare you sure youâre okay?â questions and straight to the âdo you want to talk?â Aubrey sighed though she felt a blush fill her cheeks and she fidgeted. She should probably expect it by now, given how many deep conversations she and Kel had been having over the past two years ever since Sunny and Basil had passed away. Her chest ached at the thought. Kel was giving her that look nowâlike he could see right through her, knew something was wrong and knew she was hurting even if she didnât have the words to say it. She could see his pain tooâthat hollowness that crept into his smiles, that bittersweet sadness in his eyes. Kelâs eyes reflected the same pain that ached in her chest whenever she thought of Mari or Sunny or Basil. She was sure he could see his own grief in her as well, and perhaps thatâs what had led them to find each other in the first place, in the wake of the loss of their friendsâclinging to each other like two lost souls, sharing things with each other they could never even begin to tell anyone else.
âYou can talk to me,â he gently encouraged her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Aubrey took a deep breath. She didnât know if she wanted to unpack this, and she certainly didnât want to dump it all onto Kel. She already felt guilty enough that he had left the prom to check up on her. But the look on Kelâs face was so warm and so kind, and the words, the painful truth was eating away at her waiting to be told to someone.
âYou remember how weâd all promised weâd go to prom together someday?â
Kelâs brow furrowed. âNot really, but my memories of everyone are getting fuzzyâŠâ There was a painful sadness cutting through his words as he said them.
âItâs okay. It wasnât a big moment or anything. We were just at Ginoâs joking around about it once, after a group of teenagers dressed for prom came in.â She paused. âYou said you wanted to bring your dog.â
âOh yeahâŠâ said Kel with the slight twitch of a smile. âI remember that now. Mari was teasing Hero about taking her someday, and Sunny agreed with me that it would be nice if all of us could go together as friends.â Sighing, Kel pausedâsomething bittersweet passing over his eyes. âYouâre sad you couldnât go with them, arenât you?â
It wasnât really a question.
Aubrey sniffled and nodded, and Kel cut her off reaching out to her. âOh Aubrey, IâŠâ
âItâs not just that. I was actually planning on going. I wanted to go. I bought a dress and everything. I knew it was going to be a hard day, but I was determined to do this. I knew they wouldnât want me to miss outâwouldâve wanted to me to go, even if I was sad they couldnât be there with me.â Her voice cracked, and Kel nodded solemnly, understandingly.
âButâŠbutâŠâ she stumbled over her words as her eyes burned. âI was out of hairspray and knew I needed some for tonight, so I was riding my bike down to The Other Mart, and I saw there was a group of kids in the park andâŠâ The tears started to pool in Aubreyâs eyes, and she took a deep, shaky breath, barely managing to choke out, âThey were making flower crownsâŠâ
She swiped at the tears that began to splash down her cheeks as she stumbled in the bits and pieces of sentences she could manage despite the panging ache in her chest, âI justâI just froze. IâŠI couldnât stop thinking aboutâŠI turned around and came straight home and I just havenât been able to stop cryingâŠâ She sniffled, wiping her eyes. âI know itâs so sillyâŠto let something like that ruin my whole day, especially when itâs the prom, but I just started thinking about them and how they never got to go to prom and all the things they never got to do and will never get to do andâŠâ Her voice trailed, as her words got choked by a sob in the back of her throat.
âI know,â sighed Kel quietly, giving her a reassuring pat on the back and pulling her into a hug. Aubrey took a few deep shaky breaths as she pressed her chin to Kelâs shoulder.
âItâs so stupidâŠâ she mumbled, angry with herself as she pulled away from him.
âItâs not stupid at all.â He sighed heavily. âYou know the other day I was supposed to be picking up a couple of groceries for my mom, and I was in that aisle in The Other Mart where they keep all the soups and sauces and stuff, and there was this lady there with her kids and the one kid dropped this big jar of spaghetti sauceâmade a huge messââhe paused as his breath hitchedââAnd I remembered that time we all tried to make spaghetti to surprise Hero, and I dropped the jar on the counter and the sauce splattered everywhereâit got in Basilâs hair and⊠Sunny was blinking at me with sauce all over his face and you were so mad but Mari just laughedâŠâ He paused, swallowing hard. âIt was like I couldnât breathe. I ran out of thereâtotally forgot about the groceries.â
âKelâŠâ Aubrey began as she hugged him more tightly.
âI guess the moral of the story is neither one of us should be going shopping at the Other Mart, huh?â Kel chuckled lightly, but he sniffled and Aubrey could feel his shoulders trembling like he was trying not to cry.
They just sat there holding each other for a long time. No words were spoken, but they didnât have to be. They understoodâshared this pain of being the ones left behind. Kel sniffled, and Aubrey wondered if he was crying. It wouldnât be the first time he had cried in front of her, and she knewâthey both probably knewâthat it wouldnât be the last.
âYou know, sometimes I think, Iâm okay,â Kel managed in a wavering voice. âI still miss them, of course, but Iâm not going to just start crying in the grocery storeâŠbut thenâŠsomething like that happens and I justâŠI donât know if Iâm ever going to be okay. Like there was this whole life that I had before, but itâs all over and now I have this new life and even if things get better and it doesnât hurt as much all the time, that sadness is always going to be there. Thereâs always going to be something missing, and Iâm never going to not miss them.â
Aubrey sniffled and pulled away from him to look in his face, but that deep, indescribable pain in his misty eyes made her forget her words. She supposed it didnât really matter. There was nothing she could possibly say that would make him feel betterâshe knew that better than anyone.
âSorry,â he said hurriedly as he wiped his tears away. âI didnât mean to make this about me. I feel really bad for dumping all that on you, especially when you were already upset.â
âNo. IâmâŠIâm glad you told me, Kel,â she said hugging him again. âItâsâŠnice to know Iâm not the only oneâŠâ
âYouâre definitely not the only oneâbut it really does feel like you and me against the world sometimes, right?â
A kind, bittersweet smile pulled at the corners of Aubreyâs mouth as Kel wrapped an arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. âSometimes.â
âHero too, butâŠâ Kel paused, fidgeting. Aubrey nodded in understanding. He didnât have to explain. She knew Hero worried especially about his younger brother which made it more difficult to open up to him about all of this sometimes, plus he was away at school and neither one of them wanted to bother him, especially when he was suffering a lot on his own.
âHe missed his prom, too, didnât he?â asked Aubrey quietly, changing the subject. Kel hummed, and she could feel him nod in response.
âBut itâs overrated anywayâŠâ
*-*-*
Kel was probably right, and the prom was overrated. That didnât mean that she didnât have the occasional regret about not going to hers, however. It wasnât something she ever really talked about, but if she didnât know better she would have thought that the fact she had skipped out on hers was part of the reason that Kel had invited her over tonight for the âpromâ he and Hero had been putting together to surprise their younger sister, Sally.
Even though Sally was far too young to go to a prom, she was fairly vocal about the fact that she desperately wanted to. Though Aubrey thought it was a little odd to throw a prom for a little kid, she supposed there was no harm to it, and it was sweet that Hero and Kel were always trying to do such nice things for their little sister. She had also offered to help put it all together though she reminded Kel that she had never actually been to a prom so what would she possibly know about it? He said it wasnât anything too fancy, but still insisted they should all dress up nicely. Just luckily Aubrey had had her unused prom dress from her own senior prom still hanging up in the back of her closet collecting dust. She supposed it was nice to finally get the chance to wear it, even if that meant getting stuck in stop-and-go traffic for half an hour.
Aubrey sighed. There was never any traffic on the way to prom in the movies. The people just got into their carâor their limoâand whipped right to the school without another car on the road. It was more than little unfair. Though she supposed she should know better than thinking of movies, especially teen rom coms, as real life.
*-*-*
âOkay, okay. I know we watch this movie every year, but I still donât understand: can everybody at this school afford a limo? And where do the limos go when theyâre all at prom?â asked Kel between bites of what had to be his third or fourth piece of birthday cake. Hero had been apologizing profusely for the fact it was store bought this year, but they understood he was extremely busy in medical school. They tried to reassure him that Mari would understand too, but Aubrey wasnât sure if he had believed them. âHow do all the limos even fit in the parking lot?â
âI donât know, Kel,â Aubrey sighed, setting her piece of cake on the coffee table. âJust donât think about it too much.â
âListen, I went to promâwell part of it, and nobody came in a limo. Nobody,â Kel insisted forcefully, gesturing emphatically at her with his fork and flinging cake and frosting onto her face.
Aubrey huffed. âKel!â
âOh, youâve got something on your nose,â he teased before playing poking at it with his finger.
âHereâs some napkins,â said Hero, handing her a stack of napkins with that said âHappy Birthdayâ surrounded by balloons.
âThank you.â Aubrey nodded at Hero then rolled her eyes at Kel shaking her head, but his attention was transfixed on the movie again, probably still wondering about the limos.
Aubrey sighed. Every year they watched Mariâs favorite movie for her birthday, and every year Kel found something else about it that didnât make sense to him. Last year, it was how nobody in the school had worn anything even close to the same outfit. The year before that it was how the main character who was supposed to be smart hadnât ever questioned her love interestâs obviously complicated motivations in asking her to the prom in the first place. This year it was the limos.
Aubrey sometimes wondered if Kel had only started this tradition of chattering away during the movie in the hopes that it would keep her and Heroâs spirits up and prevent them from being too sad that Mari wasnât there to celebrate her birthday with them. But other timesâlike now, when she watched him pick up his piece of cake with his hands and shove it into his mouth as the icing squished into his face, she thought it was probably more likely that it was just Kel being Kel.
A smile tugged her lips in spite of herself, but she pushed the thought away. Sheâd never admit that she was glad Kel was around to ask dumb questions about the movie, and as she watched the small smile in the corners of Heroâs mouth, she was sure he felt the same way.
When the credits began to roll, Hero started cleaning up the cake, plates, and napkins, and Kel started prattling away again. âWhy do movies make prom into such a big deal, anyway? They act like itâs the most important thing that will ever happen to you.â
âWellâŠâ Hero sighed, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. âI think they need a climatic moment for the story, and when the characters are teenagers, they canât have a wedding or something like that so they use the prom.â
âItâs really not as cool as all that though. I was honestly kind of let down.â Kelâs mouth curved into a teasing, lopsided grin before he chuckled, seemingly getting distracted once again by his cake. âThis cake was great, by the way!â
âYou can thank Aubrey for that. She picked it up from Nonaâs.â
Aubrey shrugged. âItâs no big deal. I was in there anyway.â She stopped, not quite ready to admit that she was in that bakery a lot. It was one of her favorite places in their college town, and she liked to treat herself with a pastry every now and again after exams, if she did well on them of course.
âSorry I couldnât make one this yearâŠâ Hero apologized again with red, apologetic cheeks. âNeuroanatomy is just kicking my tushie.â
Aubrey and Kel broke into raucous laughter. âYour tushie? Really, Hero?â teased Kel. Â
âWhat are youâfive?â Aubrey bantered.
âYou know what I mean,â sighed Hero. Though his cheeks were flushed, he was smiling in spite of himself. âMedical school is hard.â He sighed again. âIâm sure Aubrey understands being in nursing and all.â
âIâm glad Iâm going to be a nurse and not a doctorâthereâs too much memorizing. Iâm not smart enough for that.â
âDonât say that, Aubrey,â chimed Kel. âYou and Hero are both super smartâyou know all kinds of medical stuff. I could never do what you do.â
âWell Iâm sure neither of us could ever do what you do either, Kel,â Aubrey insisted, and Hero nodded in agreement. âYou can fix anything, and I wouldnât even know what to do with a welding torch if my life depended on it.â
Kel chuckled his face brightening. âI can show you sometime if you want. Itâs really not that hard.â
âSays the âWelder of the Year,ââ bantered Aubrey. Â
âIt was only âof the month,â andâŠâ Â
âI still have the newsletter hanging up on our refrigerator,â interjected Hero with a proud smile. Kel scratched the back of his neck as his face flushed.
âYou can take that down, you know? Itâs really not that big of a dealâŠâ He sighed. âI only fix engines and stuff. I donât save lives or anything like you guys.â
Aubrey sighed, shaking her head. âIâve never saved a life.â
âIâve barely even left my classroom,â said Hero. âSo youâve at least got one up on me. Youâre in clinicals now, arenât you?â
Aubrey nodded. âYeah. Iâm trying to get a job as a student nurse too. I just interviewed in behavioral health and psychiatry.â
She stopped abruptly as Kel and Heroâs eyes widened, a certain sadness in them that Aubrey had used to see all the time but which hadnât been in their expressions in a while. A silence spread through the room, and Aubrey sighed, wishing she hadnât mentioned it. She was about to apologize for bringing it up and ruining the mood of everyoneâs evening, but then she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and a gentle hand patting her back.
âThatâs great, Aubrey,â said Kel with a kind smile and soft expression. âI hope you get it and help a lot of people.â
âMe too,â said Hero. âI think youâll be great at that.â
âThanks,â Aubrey mumbled, her face feeling suddenly warm.
âWell, I think this deserves a toast.â Kel stood up from his seat and poured some cups of coffee from the coffee maker for them.
Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him. âWeâre toasting coffee?â
âYes,â he answered, completely unphased as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He held up his coffee cup. âTo Aubrey, soon to be âWorldâs Greatest Nurse.ââ
He winked at her, and Aubrey shook her head but bantered, holding up her own cup, âAnd to KelâWelder of the Year,â
âWould you stop it with that?â he teased under his breath as a flush of red filled his cheeks. He shook his head and turned to Hero. âAnd to Heroâwho can do anything!â
âAnd everything,â added Aubrey as Hero turned away from them blushing a bright red.
âYou guysâŠâ he mumbled.
âAnd letâs toast Mari too,â said Kel. âHappy Birthday, Mari!â
âHappy Birthday, Mari,â Hero and Aubrey replied with kind, bittersweet smiles.
As they took sips of their coffee, Aubreyâs lips puckered, and her face contorted as she resisted the urge to spit hers out. Even Hero grimaced.
âWhat in the world is this, Kel?â She reached for her water to try to rinse out the taste.
âOh youâre never gonna believe it, but Orange Joe makes ground coffee now.â
âWhy?â groaned Aubrey.
âYou really should warn us first,â Hero quipped dryly with a slight smile, but Kel just shrugged.
âWhat? I thought it was pretty good.â
âI donât know how you drink this garbage. It tastes like rotten oranges,â Aubrey bantered. âIt wouldâve been better if we toasted with broccoli juice or something.â
âI have some soda in the pantry. Letâs just use that.â Hero, always the peace-maker, got up from his seat and made his way to the kitchen with a gentle smile. Once he was gone, Kel finished off his cup of coffee and turned to her with a soft expression in his eyes.
âHey Aubrey?â
âYeah?â she asked, her brow furrowing.
âI think itâs really great that you want to be a psych nurse and everything.â
Aubrey sighed. âI donât know if itâll work out, Kel. I mean I just interviewed soâŠâ
âItâll work out,â he cut her off with a reassuring smile. âI know it will, and when it does, I know youâre gonna be great. IâŠââhe paused and glanced away from herâ"I think youâre really greatâat everything.â
Aubreyâs cheeks grew warm from the compliment. âThank you, Kel. I think youâreââ
She didnât get to finish that thought, however, as Kel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an unexpected but welcomed hug. Aubrey pressed her chin to his shoulder and gave him a pat on the back. She waited for him to let go of her, but he held her far longer than usual.
Finally, he whispered so quietly she almost couldnât hear him. âDo a good job, okay? For all of usâŠâ
Aubrey nodded. She contemplated pulling away from him, but he ran his hand through the ends of her long hair mumbling, âAnd AubreyâŠUhâŠI was wonderingâŠâ
âYeah?â she shivered, in spite of herself.
âUhâŠâ he began again, and she could feel his hands begin to shake as they gently held onto her.
âDo you want diet or regular? I also have a few cherryââ Heroâs voice stopped abruptly. âOh sorry⊠I didnât mean to interrupt.â
Kel and Aubrey quickly pulled away from each other. Aubrey could only hope she wasnât blushing as much as she feared. Her cheeks burned, but she and Kel hurriedly talked over each other, reassuring Hero it was fine, and he wasnât interrupting anything. Aubreyâs head reeled, but Kel seemed completely unphased, politely declining Heroâs soda and pouring himself another cup of Orange Joe.
As Kel stood up from his seat beside her on the sofa, Aubrey could have sworn that Hero shot her a knowing, somewhat teasing smile that made her stomach twist. She bit her lip and tried her best to push the thought awayânervously, reaching for her coffee cup in an attempt at nonchalance and unfortunately failing to remembered it was still full of Orange Joe until she had actually taken a sip. Aubrey grimaced at the bitter taste, but her cheeks burned as she watched Heroâs mouth twitched in the corners at her.
*-*-*
Aubrey wished she could say that was the last time she ever accidentally tried Orange Joe. It wasnât, but both her and Hero did get much better at predicting whether or not Kel was trying to pawn the drink off onto them. It had a distinctively putrid citrusy odor that, eventually, made it much easier to identify. If she knew Kel, there would probably be a whole pitcher full of it at the âpromâ he was putting together even though Hero had insisted multiple times that Sally was much too young for coffee.
It was nice to hear that Hero was going to get to come tonight, too. He had been so busy with his residency that they didnât get to see too much of them these days. Even Kel who was his roommate said he was lucky if he occasionally managed to catch Hero as he was heading to the hospital when Kel himself was getting home from his third shift at the manufacturing plant where he worked. Hero promised them that he was happy, just very busy, and they respected his need for rest, even if it was starting to feel a little bit like her and Kel against the world again.
That reminded her, she ought to give him a call about the trafficâletting him know she was going to be late.
âHey Kel,â she began, but his voice, muffled and staticky from what Aubrey presumed was a bad connection, cut her off.
âHi Aubrey. Whatâs up?â
âWell, Iâm on my way, but Iâm stuck in traffic. You would not believe how many cars are out here right now.â Aubrey sighed wearily. âOn their way to prom probablyâ
âHave you seen any limos?â
Aubrey laughed. âNo, Kel. No limos. I really donât think we even have those in Faraway Town.â
âThatâs probably true.â He chuckled before changing the subject. âItâs no big deal if youâre late or anything. Just drive safely, and you can let yourself in through the fence to the backyard.â
âOh, are you having it outside?â
Kel hummed. âYeah, it was such a nice night that I thought it would be fun to dance out on the porch and stuff. Iâve been practicing my dancing, and I think Iâm a lot better than the last time you danced with me soâŠâ
Aubreyâs face grew suddenly hot, but she took a deep breath, trying and failing not to think of the last night Kel had danced with herâŠ
*-*-*
âOkay, explain to me again how you came to win dancing lessons?â quipped Aubrey, quirking an eyebrow at Kel, but he merely shrugged at her.
âWell I bought a bunch of raffle tickets because I wanted this ceramic chicken.â He paused before adding hurriedly with a sheepish smile, âAnd, you know, to support the hospital and everything too.â
Aubrey sighed and shook her head, but Kel didnât seem to notice. It was very nice of Kel to come with her to her hospitalâs charity benefit. They were raising money to build a new wing which would mean more beds in the juvenile behavioral health ward where she worked as a nurse. She had told Kel that the gala was mostly for the really big donors, and she was just inviting him for his company so he shouldnât feel obligated to donate anything. Even so, it was sweet of him to try to buy some raffle tickets for some of the less expensive items.
A smile twitched in the corners of her mouth. It was just like Kel to do something thoughtful like thatâespecially for a dumb reason like wanting a ceramic chicken he could probably buy for himself half-as-cheap at a local home goods store.
âI was going to put all the tickets in the drawing for the basket with the chicken,â Kel prattled on. âBut then some of the other people were giving me these weird looks, so I started to put them in the drawing for some of the other raffle baskets too, and I guess I won the one with the dancing lessons.â With a slight shrug of his shoulders, Kel frowned disappointedly. âDidnât win the chicken though. I was pretty bummed about that.â
âWhat would you even do with a ceramic chicken?â Aubrey teased dryly.
âI donât know, but Iâd probably get more use out of it than dance lessons.â
A chuckle escaped Aubreyâs mouth as she barely stifled a laughâturning back to the stove where she was frying some potatoes as they waited for the lasagna they were making for dinner to be finished cooking in the oven. It wouldnât be nearly as good as Heroâs, but he was far too busy with his residency to cook for even himself these days. They were making this meal to surprise him when he got home and to celebrate his first weekend off in months.
âDo you want to take them with me?â asked Kel as he absent-mindedly stirred the pudding they were making for dessert.
Aubrey tilted her head at him. âThe dance lessons?â
âYeah. Itâs for two people, and I didnât really know who else to bring.â
âWhat about Hero?â She didnât realize how silly that suggestion sounded until Kel laughed.
âHero is a great dancer already, and heâs super busy right now anyway.â
With a conceding shrug of her shoulders, Aubrey sighed. âIsnât there someone else youâd rather bring, Kel?â
âNope,â he replied immediately, clearly not understanding the meaning behind her words. âWhy would there be?â
âWellâŠyou knowâŠsome people think that dancing can have a more romantic connotation, so I was just thinking that if you were interested in someone you might want to bringâŠâ Her voice trailed as she tilted her head confused and inquisitively at the unreadable expression on Kelâs face.
âOhâŠuhâŠwellâŠâ Kel chuckled though he rubbed his hand sheepishly across the back of his neck. âActually, Iâd rather take you, but if you donât want to come, you can just say...â
âItâs fine, Kel.â With a shrug, Aubrey stared down at the potatoes, put the lid over the pan, and turned the stove down to low heat so they could simmer. Her mouth twitched into a bantering smile. âI just meant, you should probably be careful going around asking other girls to go dancing with you. They might get the wrong idea.â
âIs it really that much of a romantic thing?â asked Kel blinking at her.
Aubrey shrugged again. âIt is in the movies.â
âBut thatâs just the movies. They make everything romantic, especially when it doesnât have to be. Like how they always make it seem like prom is the best night of your life or when the couple dances together there one time, theyâre suddenly desperately in love forever.â Kel laughed, but Aubrey frowned.
âI didnât mean it likeââ She huffed, shaking her head. âAnd what would you know about prom anyway, you barely even went to ours?â
âI went to enough of it to know that it wasnât super magical or anything, and yeah, I danced with a few girls, but itâs not like Iâm just pining for them forever now.â Kel paused, chuckling to himself, and Aubreyâs face flushed but her brow furrowed. Was he making fun of her?
âThatâs not the same thing. For some girls itâs different. They romanticize it in their headsââshe sighedâânot me butâŠâ
âThatâs because youâre a cynic,â teased Kel.
âAnd youâre a moronâespecially if you think that another girl wouldnât take your invitation to dancing lessons in a romantic way.â
Kel just shrugged and admitted, âI donât get it.â
âWellâŠwhat if you had danced with that girl, the one you actually wanted to take as your prom date? Donât you think that wouldâve been special?â
âI didnât get to dance with herâever actually, but I donât think it wouldâve changed anything. A dance is just dance, isnât it?â He tilted his head as a bantering smile tugged at his lips. âYouâre acting like if I just started dancing with you right now, youâdâ?â
âKâKel?â Aubreyâs breath hitched as he slipped his arms around her waist. âWhat are you doing?â
âProving a point,â he insisted with a shrug.
Aubrey huffed. âThere isnât even any music.â
âOh.â Kel absentmindedly tilted his head before pulling out his phone, presumably choosing a song to play. As the songâs intro began to play, he set his phone on the counter and held out his hand to her.
âCan I have this dance?â he asked with a playfully melodramatic bow, and Aubrey sighed with a somewhat affectionate roll of her eyes.
âFine,â she sighed. âWhatever will get you to focus on cooking again.â
Kel smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist again. As he met her eyes, she looked away abruptlyâclearing her throat as she snaked her arms around his neck. He was so close to her. Her cheeks felt warm, and she swallowed hard, pushing the thought away. âItâs just Kel,â she reminded herself.
He began swayingâAubrey shook her headâoff tempo with the music. âYou really can use those dance lessons,â she teased though there was a certain, uncharacteristic shakiness that seeped into her words. She pursed her lips and mentally kicked herself. What was wrong with her all of a sudden?
She could almost feel Kelâs chuckle reverberating in his chest. âYeah, well I guess itâs good I won them then.â He smiled at her, and as he met her eyes, Aubrey shuddered in spite of herself.
Kel pulled her closer to himâalmost pressing his cheek against hers and began to quietly sing along to the music. Aubreyâs face flushed. Knowing Kel he probably wasnât even aware that he was singing, but she could feel his warm breath, those affectionate words almost whispered in her ear. For the life of her she couldnât even begin to guess why Kel had picked what was probably one of the most romantic songs in the universe. The slow crooning of the melody alone screamed romance, but there was so much devotion, so much longing in the lyricsâand to hear them in Kelâs voice... Aubrey inhaled sharplyâhoping her face wasnât nearly as red as she feared.
âHowââher voice hitched, and she pulled away from himââHow do you even know this song?â
Kel just shrugged. âHero showed it to me. He likes all those old songs, you know? And I thought it would be good for this.â He paused. âWhy? Do you like it?â
âItâs fine,â shrugged Aubrey though she found she couldnât look at Kel for some reason.
When she finally met his gaze again, there was something so warm, so gentle in his expression, and his dark eyes seemed to glisten with an emotion that she couldnât begin to describe but which made her heart pound all the same. He lifted his hand from her waist and gently pressed his palm to her cheek.
âIf this was a movie, this is probably the point when Iâd say something corny likeâŠâ Kel paused, blinking at her with heavy-lidded eyes before he continued with a gentle sincerity that made her breath catch in her throat, ââYou are so beautiful.ââ He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and as his eyes fluttered closed, he sighed, ââIâve wanted this for a long time.ââ
Aubrey swallowed hard. She tried to frown even though she was sure her face was bright red from thatâŠthat pining underscoring his voice. âThis is just a game,â she reminded herselfâone that Kel seemed to be getting extremely into, but a game all the same. Still... the way his voice faltered, the earnestness in his eyes made it easy to forget.
âYouâve been watching too many romance movies with HeroâŠâ she quipped, but her voice wavered.
Kel chuckled lightly. âMaybeâŠâ
His hand softly stroked the side of her cheek until the tips of his long fingers began to tangle in her hair. She shivered as she took a long, shaky breath. His lips parted slightly as his mouth relaxed. She bit her lip and watched as Kel did the same.
âAubreyâŠâ he whispered as she tangled her trembling hand in the hair at the nape of his neck and gently pulled him towards her in slow, deliberate movements that didnât feel like her own. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered. He was close enough to her now that she could almost feel them against her skin.
Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. He hovered in front of her mere inches away from her face. When he whispered her name again, she realized they had stopped dancing.
As Kelâs eyes fluttered closed, he tilted his head and cupped her face with his hands. His breath was warm against her skin, so close Aubrey could almost taste the coffee and citrus lingering from that awful Orange Joe he loved so much. As she began to lean closer to him, her hand curled around the unruly strands of his hair, and she pressed her palm to the back of his headâpulling him in. Closer. Closer.
He began to lean forward. That space between them was almost non-existent now. Aubrey frozeâunable to move, unable to breath. Her heartbeat raced, and she could almost feel Kelâs heart pounding as he stopped, a breath away from her. She gripped the soft fabric of his shirt and shut her eyes tightly. Waiting. Waiting untilâŠ
BEEP! BEEP! The sound of the oven timer rang through the living room. Aubrey exhaled deeply though her cheeks flushed. What had just happened?
Kel startled, pulling away from her abruptly. âOh! The lasagna!â he exclaimed with a bright smile, seemingly, completely unphased by what had just happened, by the fact that they had almostâŠ
Aubrey inhaled sharply, then took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She bit down hard on her lip. It was just a game to him. Of course it was.
âAlright fine, KelâŠâ she laughed it off with as much of a frown as she could muster as the music stopped. Her racing heartbeat and wavering tone of voice didnât seemed to get the memo, however. âYouâre right.â
His face beamed. âSeriously?â He chuckled, playfully poking her in the arm. âSee, I told you that you didnât miss out on anything at the prom.â
Aubrey sighedâwilling that blush she could still feel in her face away. âYeah⊠Itâs just a danceânothing necessarily romantic about that. But you know I agreed with you from the beginning, right? So donât get too excited about it. I just meant a lot of other girls might get the wrong impression.â âEspecially if you dance with them like that,â she mentally added, barely managing to stop herself before the words tumbled out of her mouth.
âYeah, alright. You know, honestly, I actually kinda see your point now too.â Kel tilted his head and chuckled breathily though his expression was unreadable. Aubreyâs heart raced in spite of herself as she tried to push these thoughts, these feelings, whatever they were away for good.
*-*-*
Aubrey let out a long and heavy sigh. She could feel the blush in her cheeks even now just thinking about it. She hadnât done a very good job of pushing the memory away. Even though they had never talked about that dance, about that almost-kiss ever again, Aubrey had mulled it over in her mind more times than she could count, until she could almost believe that she had been imagining things, that she had just gotten caught up in the music and dancing and that nothing had actually almost happened. ButâŠâAubrey sighedâthe way he had looked at herâŠ
She swallowed hard and pushed the thought away. This was Kel. Kelâdopey, happy-go-lucky Kel who used to eat spray cheese directly out of the can until she and Hero staged an intervention to ask him to stop and who once got a popsicle stick stuck up his nose because he wanted to see if he could touch his brain with it. Granted he was seven at the time, but still⊠this was Kel, and Kel wasâŠwasâŠ
Aubrey sighed. Kel was sweet and thoughtful. Heâd do anything to make his friends and family happy, and he loved making people laugh. He could make friends anywhere he went, and he always found things to smile about. And yeah, he could be awkward sometimes, airheaded, oblivious, and occasionally stubborn, but he had a big heart and even if his words didnât always come out the way he wanted them to, she never doubted how much he cared. He was a great friendâher best friend, probably if she was being honest, but she wasnât about to waste another minute of her life sitting around analyzing whether she may or may not have almost kissed him once. And she especially wasnât going to sit around analyzing whether or not she should have or, worst of all, whether she had wanted to.
âYou will dance with me again, wonât you?â asked Kelâs voice through the phone. âI gave those dancing lessons to my parents as a gift, but Hero was helping me practice a little bit, so I think Iâve gotten a lot better.â
âUhâŠyeahâŠsure KelâŠâ stumbled Aubrey trying her best not to think anything of it.
âOkay, great! Iâve got to go now, but Iâll see you soon, okay? Bye.â
ââŠByeâŠâ mumbled Aubrey. She let out a long and heavy sigh, shaking her head and mentally kicking herself for getting so flustered about Kel of all people. It was nothing, clearlyâŠgiven the way he could mention it so nonchalantly like that. She should just stop thinking about it and worrying that it was something that it wasnât.
She pushed the thought awayâtrying her best to think about something else, anything else. What was everyone going to wear tonight? Sally would probably look adorable all dressed up in party dress or a costume if she wanted to be an actual princessâthough Aubrey supposed Kel had specifically used the word âpromâ rather than âballâ so Sally might not want a princess dress. Would Kel and Hero go all out and rent tuxes or just wear nice suits? Maybe Kel would bring back that bright pink tie from their promâŠ
Aubrey stopped. That tie. She hadnât thought about it in years until it got brought up a couple of weeks ago when she and Kel were going shopping at the outlet mall with Sally.
*-*-*
âTheyâre so pretty,â Sally sighed wistfully with a little twirl as they passed some of the clothing racks filled with sparkly prom dresses. âI canât wait âtil Iâm old enough to go to the prom.â She giggled and squeezed Aubreyâs hand. âWhat was it like? Did you get to wear a pretty dress like that, Aubbie?â
Aubrey smiled. Sally had given her that nickname years ago when she was a little toddler who struggled with her ârâs, and it made it happy to think that it had somehow stuck all these years. Her smile quickly faded however, as she awkwardly replied, âWellâŠSallyâŠI didnât actually go to my prom.â
âOhâŠâ Sallyâs eyes widened sadly, and she tilted her head. âIâm sorry.â
âThatâs okay,â she reassured her, giving her a gentle smile and a reassuring pat on the head. âYour brother went thoughâto part of it. He wore this bright pink tie.â
Kel laughed and playfully poked her in the arm. âYou remember my tie?â
Aubreyâs face flushed, but she bantered. âIt was kind of hard to forget. Whyâd you pick a color like that anyway?â
âOh uhâŠâ Chuckling, he scratched the back of his neck. âI never told you?â
âNoâŠâ Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at him, but Sally giggled.
âI wanna hear about it.â
âWell, okay, just for you Sally,â Kelâs expression softened, but he shrugged his shoulders. âBut Iâm warning you, itâsâŠkind of silly now that Iâm thinking about itâŠâ He sighed. âThere was this girlâŠShe was really amazing. I wanted to ask her to prom, but I was really afraid she would say ânoâ so I kind of chickened out. But she really liked pink soâŠI thought maybe sheâd like that pink tie. Kind of silly, right?â He laughed it off, but his cheeks flushed.
âDid she like it?â asked Sally, curiously blinking up at her older brother.
Kelâs mouth curved into a smile, andâAubrey blushedâshe could have almost sworn he glanced over at her when he said, âYeah. I think she didâŠâ
âYou know, you never told meâthat girl, did she go with someone else?â The question slipped out before Aubrey could stop it. She had spent years wondering, worrying if she had ruined Kelâs prom with her own problems or if he was nursing a broken heart of his own that had nothing to do with her grief. It was probably selfish to be bringing it up now after all these years, but she couldnât give up the opportunity to find out for sure if Kel would have left the prom early anyway, even if she had been there.
âNope,â Kel shook his head with a sigh, and Aubrey swallowed hard.
âDid you get to dance with her, then?â
A smile twitched in the corners of Kelâs mouthâsomething unreadable but undeniably affectionate flashing across his eyes. âEventuallyâŠâ
âWas she a good dancer?â giggled Sally.
âBetter than me.â Kel shrugged, but he reached out to take Sallyâs hand and gave his sister a little twirl. âBut I am getting better.â
He flashed Aubrey a teasing smile, and she shook her head at him as she stifled a laugh. She knew it was a sign that this conversation was over, but it nagged at the back of her brain for the rest of the day as they absentmindedly wandered from store to store, eventually stopping for soft pretzels at the food court and surprising Sally with a bright yellow bow for her hair. There was no more talk of prom.
When it started storming, they decided to call it a day and headed back to Faraway Town. It wasnât long before Sally fell asleep in the back seat of her car, exhausted from the long and exciting day of shopping. Aubrey dreaded the silence left by the absence of Sally and Kelâs cheerful prattling, but she was grateful for the opportunity to focus on driving rather than on mulling Kelâs words over in her head. That guilt she had been feeling ever since he had had to skip out on their prom on her account was suddenly fresh again, gnawing at her, getting harder and harder to push away.
âHeyâŠuhâŠAubrey? Are you okay?â asked Kel quietly enough so as not to wake up the napping Sally. âYouâve been kind of quietâŠâ
âWell Sallyâs asleep Kel,â she replied with a tilt of her head as she glanced in her rearview mirror.
âYeah, but I meant before thatâŠEver since we were in that department storeâŠâ
Aubrey took a deep breath and tried to muster a, âYeahâŠIâm justâŠâ
She stopped abruptly. Even if she didnât take her eyes off the road, she could almost picture Kelâs reassuring smile, encouraging her that she could tell him anything. Maybe it would be best to ask him now when she didnât have to look in his face...
Before she could decide, however, she pulled into the driveway of Kelâs parentsâ house. Grabbing a nearby umbrella, Kel got out of the car and gently lifted a sleeping Sally, draping his jacket over her head so her face wouldnât get wet from his attempts to carry her and the umbrella.
Kel fidgeted until he was shielding Sally completely with the umbrella, getting himself soaked in the process. Aubrey sighed and shook her head with a somewhat affectionate smile. He was going to be sopping wet by the time he got back to the car, but if Aubrey was being honest, she didnât mind. It was sweet how much Kel cared about his sister. Aubrey supposed that was really just Kelâhe always thought about everybody else and how to make them happy. Heâd give a stranger his umbrella if they needed it, even if that meant heâd get himself soaked. It was something Aubrey admired most about him.
Her face felt suddenly warm, and she pushed the thought away, watching as Kel handed Sally off to his mom on the porch. She gave Aubrey a bright smile and a cheerful wave as Kel rushed back across yard. Aubrey waved back.
Sure enough, when Kel got back inside the car, he was dripping water. He ran his hand through his sopping hair.
âSorry, Aubrey. Iâll clean it up when you drop me off,â he insisted with a sheepish smile, but Aubrey waved her hand.
âDonât worry about it. Itâs just water.â
Chuckling, Kelâs mouth twitched into a lopsided grin, and he shrugged his shoulders, âOkay, now that Sallyâs insideâŠwhatâs up? Somethingâs bugging you.â
âIâm fine,â Aubrey said, but she knew Kel knew her too well to believe that.
He sighed, a look of concern passing over his eyes. âAre you sure? Is it something I saidâŠ?â
âNoâŠâ She bit her lip. âItâs not you. Itâs justâŠâ
âYouâll feel better if you just tell me. I know you will,â he teased with a kind smile.
Aubrey huffed. He was right, of course, but she didnât really want to admit that.
âWhy did you leave our prom?â
Kelâs brow furrowed, and his eyes widened in confusion. âWhat?â
âYou knowâŠwas it for that girl you wanted to take but didnât end up asking or was it forâŠ?â She stopped and cleared her throat.
âWellâŠactuallyâŠâ Kel stumbled, his face flushing. Aubrey sighed guiltily. She didnât mean to fluster him like thisâit wasnât fair.
âI justâŠI know itâs none of my business, and I feel bad asking but I just donât want to be reason that you had to skip out on our prom, you know? So if you left because you were heartbroken orâŠâ
âOh,â Kel interrupted. Clearing his throat, he rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck. âUhâŠI wasnât heartbroken or anything, butâŠyeah, I did leave because of that girlâthe one I wanted to askâŠâ
Aubrey sighed. She didnât feel as relieved to hear this as she had always imagined she would. She felt almostâŠsadâŠ
âDo you regret it?â she asked quietly, staring at her hands. âLeaving her there at the prom?â
âWhat?â
âYou know, you couldâve stayed. You didnât have to miss out on it, especially not to just waste the whole night sitting on my porchâŠâ She cleared her throat though she twisted her hands around the steering wheel, staring intently at the swaying windshield wipers. âDo you ever wish thatâŠthings had been different?â
âI meanâŠI guess sometimes, maybe, but only to wish that you had been there and that everyone had been there to come with us.â Sighing bittersweetly, Kel paused. âWhy? Do you?â
Aubrey sighed, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel even though the car was still parked. âSometimesâŠâ she admitted. âBut for the same reason as you, I guess, andâŠâ Her voice trailed, and she could feel Kel shift next to her.
âAnd what?â
âIâve justâŠâ Her face flushed as she took a deep breath. âI always felt guilty for making you miss it. I really am sorry about that.â
Kel chuckled lightly and placed his hand on her shoulder until she turned to look at him. âAubrey, donât worry about it. I already told you. I wanted to spend it with you.â
His smile was warm, and the look in his eyes was so tender that Aubreyâs hands began to shake as her cheeks blushed rose. She turned away from him, and he shrugged his shoulders and admitted, âI think about that night a lot, actuallyâŠin a good way. I donât have regrets.â
He gently pushed a piece of hair out of her face, and Aubrey shivered but not from the cold and wet of the rain on his fingers. âAubrey, IâŠThereâs actuallyâŠâ He stopped and pulled his hand away from her abruptly as water began to drip into her face. âOh shoot. Iâm sorry,â he stumbled, panicking over the damp streaks in her hair.
âItâs okay, KelâŠâ Aubrey sighedâpolitely failing to mention that his panicking over dripping water everywhere was just spraying water and making everything wetter. âLetâs justâŠget you home.â
âOkayâŠâ Kel nodded, but his face was flushed. Aubrey was sure hers was bright red. She could only hope he wouldnât notice.
*-*-*
Taking a deep breath, Aubrey parked her car on the street in front of Kelâs house. This was probably the worst possible thing she could have been thinking of right now. Why did she do this to herself?
She sighed heavily, burying her face in her hands before she composed herself, pushing all those thoughts away. She didnât even know where they were coming from, and even if she did, now was definitely not the time to be thinking about any of that. She could almost guarantee that Kel certainly wasnât. There was no way he was sitting around wondering what would have happened if the timer hadnât gone off when they were dancing or if water hadnât started to drip into her face when he was running his hand through her hair. These were just things Kel did without thinkingâit didnât mean anything more to him than that they were just friends, so why should it mean anything more to her? AndâŠperhaps more importantly, why would she even want it to? Why would she want affection for him that would never be returned? Â
Her shoes clicked across the pavement as she made her way down the sidewalk and up the driveway to the house where Kel lived with his brother, at least until Hero finished his final year of residency and paid off enough student loans to afford his own place. There was the faint sound of music echoing from the backyard and lights shimmering from what she assumed was probably their decorated porch. As soon as she walked through the gate to the yard, however, she realized she was wrong. There was a beautiful trellis canopy covered in Christmas lights with twinkling icicle lights hanging from the ceilingâunderneath it was Heroâs record player, playing classic love songs.
Aubrey froze just staring at itâhow it beautiful it was. She didnât even notice Kel until he chuckled beside her. Â
âAubrey, you made it!â He paused, his expression softening. âYou look beautiful. Iâm glad I finally got to see your prom dress.â
Aubreyâs face flushed, and she curled her toes in her shoes both at the compliment, Â and at the fact that Kel didnât look too shabby himself dressed in his dark suit with combed hair and shiny dress shoes. âYou look nice too, Kel. I see youâre wearing that tieââ she tried to tease him, but her voice cracked. Kel, however, just chuckled lightly.
âOh yeahâŠwell, you knowâŠâ With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he paused fidgeting with the bright pink tie around his neck. âDo you like it?â
Aubrey somehow managed a playful roll of her eyes. âItâs great, Kel.â
âI got you this,â he exclaimed excitedly, holding out a plastic container with a corsage inside.
âWow, thank you,â she stumbled as he helped her slip it onto her wrist. âYou really did go all out, huh?â
Kel hummed and nodded enthusiastically, but Aubreyâs brow furrowed as she glanced around. âSo, uhâŠwhere are Hero and Sally?â
A faint flush of rose filled Kelâs cheeks. âOh. UhâŠwellâŠabout that. Theyâre not here.â
âWhy not?â
âIt wasnât really a lie,â he tripped over his words. âI was just trying to surprise you, but IâŠI didnât do this for SallyâŠâ
As he met her eyes, Aubrey shivered and swallowed hard. Kel chuckled sheepishly. âI knew you were kind of upset that you missed your prom, and so I thought Iâd make you your own prom. Surprise!â
Aubrey looked around the yardâat the twinkling lights, the trellis, Heroâs record player, then at Kel, all dressed up in his best suit with his pink tie, the kindest look in his eyes and the brightest, beaming smile on his face.
âYou...ââshe inhaled sharplyââYou did all thisâŠfor me?â
âYeahâŠIs it overboard? I was worried it might be a little overboard.â
Aubrey could scarcely put coherent sentences togetherâher head was spinning. KelâŠKel had done all of thisâŠfor herâŠ? âWhy?â
âWhy?â Kel repeated with wide eyes. âWellâŠbecause itâs a lotâŠwith the music and the fancy clothes and the decorationsâŠâ
âNo, uhââ she stumbled. âWhy did you do this for me, Kel?â
âOhâŠwell I thought you were upset about our prom ever since we went to the outlet mall, and I thought maybe a âdo-overâ prom would make you happy.â
Aubreyâs blush deepened as she stared down at her feet. âYouâŠyou really didnât have to do this Kel. Especially since Iâm the one who basically ruined your prom in the first place.â
âAubreyâŠâ He pressed his palm to her cheekâsmiling, waiting until she finally looked up at him. âThatâs what Iâve been trying to tell you this whole time. You didnât ruin my promânot at all. I wanted to spend it with you. I know I probably shouldâve just asked you, but I donât know, I was justâŠI had never felt so close to anybody in my whole life, and I thought you were so amazing, I didnât know what to do with myselfâŠâ He paused, chuckling awkwardly with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders.
âWaitâŠyouâŠyouâŠâ she stammered trying to make sense of what she was hearing. He couldnât have possibly just saidâŠ? âYou wanted to take me to our prom? Iâm the girl?â
Kelâs cheeks blushed red, but he nodded. âYouâre the girl.â Aubrey could only blink at him as he chuckled lightly, awkwardly again and joked as he fidgeted with his hands, âYou knowâŠif this was a movie, this is probably the part where Iâd say something really corny like âYouâve always been the girl.ââ
As he met her eyes, Aubrey froze. His words may have been corny, but the look in his eyes was so sincere, soâŠaffectionate. She swallowed hardâsure her face must be bright red by now, but she couldnât move, couldnât think. She tried her best to take a deep breath and shakily tease him but her voice was wavering, breathyâit almost didnât sound like her. âYeahâŠthatâsâthatâs really cornyâŠâ
âYeah, Iâm no HeroâŠâ Kel chuckled self-deprecatingly. âIâm really not good at any of this stuffâŠâ He bit his lip and looked back up at her with a gaze that made her shiver. âBut I really do think youâre greatâprobably the most amazing person Iâve ever met. Iâm sorry for not saying it before.â
âKel, IâŠâ Her voice hitched. âI had no idea you felt this wayâŠâ
âThatâs okay,â shrugged Kel. âTo be honest, I didnât even know I felt this way for a long time. It took me a while to figure it outâŠI was just kind of dense, I guess.â He laughed with a sheepish grin. âWhen I finally mentioned it to Hero, he gave me this look like âitâs about timeâŠâ Then he was the one who was really encouraging me to tell you, but I just never really could figure out how andâŠthen I was worried I was going to mess up our friendship and I didnât want to make things awkwardâŠBut I guess this is kinda awkward, huh? All the movies make it look so easyâŠâ
Aubrey blushed. If one of them should be feeling dense right now, it really should be her. Kel wasâŠWas he reallyâŠ?
âListen, uhâŠyouâre really quiet right now. You donât have to say anything. We can just pretend that I never said anything,â he began to ramble quickly, nervously. âI didnât want to put you on the spot, I justâI thought that was something you should probably know about me, er, about you, er how I feel about you because IâI really like you and I think you are really great and if you ever talk to me again after this, I would really like to take you to dinner andâŠâ
Aubrey could only blink at him, unable to get a word in edgewise as he let out a long heavy sigh. âAnd I am totally messing this upâŠâ Sighing heavily again, he ran his hand through his hair, before he met her eyes. âAubreyâŠIâm sorryââ
âDonât beâŠâ Aubrey interrupted, reaching up to stroke Kelâs cheek with her hand. âI know itâs not an easy thing to sayâŠâ
âNo, but you donât understand. I tried to practice and everything. I was going to say all kinds of really nice stuff like that youâre probably the most important person in the world to me, and I donât know what Iâd do without you. After Mari and Sunny and BasilâŠââhis voice hitchedââThings were so dark and so sadâŠit was probably one of the worst times in my life, and I felt so alone, but then, you found meâŠand you showed me that even if this world without them is always going to be a little sadder than it was, that doesnât mean that there arenât still good things in it too. And a lot of those good things were because of youâwhen we tease each other and weâre throwing popcorn at each other or Iâm wiping frosting on your nose or splashing water at you at the beachâwhen we laugh about corny movies or dance in the kitchen or when we just talk for hours and completely forget about the timeâŠor when your face turns all red when youâre trying not to smile or the way your nose wrinkles when you laugh. And youââhe cupped her face in his handsââYouâre the best thing.â
âKelâIâŠIâŠâ Aubrey began to trip over her words, unsure what she even wanted to say.
Kel sighed, his face blushing red as he pulled his hands away from her, and mumbled, âI donât even know if that makes senseâŠâ
âNo, itâŠit does,â Aubrey said with a reassuring smile. âIâŠI completelyâŠâ She stopped. âBack then, IâŠI never thought I could ever be happy again, but you showed me I could be, that thereâs stillâŠhappinessâŠâ Her voice trailed, but Kel wrapped his arms around her and pulled into a tight hug. Â
âAubreyâŠIâmâŠIâm so gladâŠIâŠââKelâs voice hitchedââI just want you to be happy. I want you to be so, so happy. I just never thought Iâd ever be lucky enough that you could be happy with me.â
âI am happy, Kel,â Aubrey whispered, unable to think, unable to breath. Something she couldnât even begin to describe seemed to propel her forwardâher whole body almost moving on its own as she pulled back from him just enough to close her eyes and brush her lips against his.
âAâAubrey?â stumbled Kel with a look more akin to having been whacked on the back of the head rather than kissed.
âKel, uhâŠsorryâŠâ she began staring off over his shoulder. âI just umâŠâ
âNo, Iâm sorry, I justâŠI wasnât ready.â Aubreyâs eyes widened, but Kel hurriedly added, âReady as in prepared not as in ready like IâI didnât wantâŠbecause IâI doâŠâ
A playful smile tugged at Aubreyâs lips, but she was blushing too much to actually tease him.
âIâIâŠâ Kel began to stumble again, and Aubrey could have sworn she heard him mumble, âOh forget itâŠâ under his breath before he finally just threw his arms around her neck and kissed her. His hands tangled in her hair as hers gripped the collar of his suit pulling him even closer to her. She could taste that sickeningly sweet Orange Joe on his breath, but she didnât even care.
When they finally broke apart from each other, red-faced and breathless. Kel chuckled teasingly, âI guess I should probably ask you to dance now, huh?â
As that familiar song began to play, Kel wrapped his arms around her, and Aubrey slipped her hands around his neck. They swayed in time to the music, and neither one of them could hold back their smiles.
As Aubrey nestled into Kelâs chest, she could feel him chuckling lightly to himself.
âWhat?â she asked quietly. Â
âNothing itâs justâŠâ Kel pulled away just enough to look at her and meet her eyes as his mouth twitched into a soft, playful smile. âMaybe it really is true what everyone says about prom after allâŠâ
#kelbrey#omori baseball bat#omori baseball#baseball omori#omori kelbrey#cries about kelbrey#kelbrey prom#i want out of kelbrey hell#send help#can acacia actually write romance? let's see...#i can't believe i wrote this#omori spoilers#my omori fanfiction#thank you so much for reading
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Kelbrey Week Day 4 - Free Day @kelbreyweek
They had a sleepover and when Kel changed into his pajamas aubrey saw his multiple copies of the same jersey so she wore one and then they laughed about how loose it was so Kel wore aubrey's jacket but he couldn't fit in it so he just wore it over his shoulders. They proceed to braid each other's hair because yes
#omori#omori aubrey#omori aubrey fanart#omori kel#omori kel fanart#omori kelbrey#kelbrey week 2023#omori baseball#omori fanart#xjsnxmsm not too proud with this piece#hope I'll do better for the next prompt which is prom#i forgot his leg hairs again I HAD TO EDIT IT#thank god tumblr can edit photos-#i have to repost it on instagram now tho :(
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hello can i attempt to convince you lot to read my 5k no spoilers omori fluff prom fic ... i like it a lot i think its cute :) its sunflower and heromari but background kelbrey if u squint !! here is a snippet and the link to the full thing thank youuuu :))
also if you reblog i'll give u a little smooch <3 /p
#omori#omori fic#omori fanfic#omori sunflower#sunny omori#basil omori#sunflower omori#mari omori#kel omori#hero omori#heromari omori#aubrey omori#kelbrey omori#fluff#hurt/comfort
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very belated (prom)pt from kelbrey week
#omori#omori kel#omori aubrey#kelbrey#i sketched this at work weeks ago bc sometimes ship art is just what keeps u going#tapioca art
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QUICK BEFORE IT BECOMES THE NEXT DAY
Kelbrey Week - Day 5 - Prom
"Aubrey! About time, it's about to start!! Where have you been!?" "Jeez, calm down, will ya?? There's still 15 minutes left 'til it starts!"
@kelbreyweek PROMMM!!! And yes, they have the DRIP. Pros of formal wear events: I can give them drip. Cons: I have to design the drip. I HATE designing clothes it's so so hard, but this time it actually came a lilll bit more easily? BUT I'M STILL ALMOST LATE-
Anyways, have a bonus scene:
"Kel, what in the world is up with your tie??? It's a mess!" "Ah- W-Well I was sorta in a rush, and Basil said it was alright so-" "Basil doesn't know how to tie a tie! *Sigh* Here." "?" "This is supposed to be pulled higher, and this is supposed to be tucked in the back. And you even have a pin! And you aren't even using that right!" "Hey, I know how to tie a tie, I was just in a rush okay!?" "Whatever, Kel."
#kelbrey art#kelbrey enthusiast times#kelbrey week stuff#kelbrey week 2023#omori#omori kelbrey#omori baseball#omori baseball bat#kel omori#omori kel#aubrey omori#omori aubrey#basil omori#omori basil#sunny omori#omori sunny#omori spoilers#(because of sunny's eye)#....i drew aubrey way too pretty.#good god saVE MY SOUL#anYWAYS THEIR DRIP!!#there's symbolism and details and just swagger <3#same kel aubrey had no right to be so PRETTY#DANG I WAS TOO LATE IT POSTED AT 12 well whatever it's definitely still the 10th somewhere in the world!#and yes! basil gave kel that cactus tie pin and also aubrey's gladiolus hair tie/pin#woah... tie pin... tie/pin#OH MAN i forgot to make something like that for sunny.... idk maybe he has... tulip cufflinks or smth
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'ELLO HELLO! And WELCOME, to this HELL OF A TRAINWRECK!!!
This blog is here so I can post everything that has to do with my book, Flaming Liberation, as well as fanfictions for my favorite franchises! More details under the cut!
These franchises include (in no particular order):
Undertale
Delatarune
Omori
Kingdom Hearts
Pokemon
Genshin Impact
Demon Slayer
Cave story
ENA
And more!
You can feel free to send me asks about anything! Be it asks for the characters, for me, feedback or advice, as well as recommendations for any fanfics!
About Flaming Liberation: This book started as an idea around 2019, and around 2020 as a Wattpad original by a middle schooler (me) who wanted to share his OC's to the world! Since then it has developed into a sort of passion project of mine, and has gotten a lot bigger!
Flaming Liberation is a fantasy story that explores themes of child abuse, oppression, war, as well as grief. Needless to say the story gets dark at points, but that doesn't set it aside from having humor and wholesome relationships. Starring a teenage girl named Shelingia who has grown up in confinement because of her supernatural abilities, and her young friend Leo who lost his parents to people who wanted to abduct him because of his powers. This is the story that explores the events of how Shelingia frees herself and Leo and gets revenge on those responsible for their and other people's suffering.
Main blog (chaos): @just-an-otaku-fox
->Flaming Liberation chapters:
Prologue.
Chapter 1. Parental Love.
Chapter 2. Test Subject.
Chapter 3. Not a Sound.
Chapter 4. Rebellion.
Chapter 5. Warmth.
Chapter 6. Another Day.
Chapter 7. Tears.
->Other works of mine!
Kelbrey week 2023
Day 1. Comforting/Grieving.
Day 2. Aged up.
Day 3. Flower Languages.
Day 4. Free Day.
Day 5. Prom.
Day 6. Valentine's day.
Day 7. Wedding day.
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Kelbrey Week Day 5 - Prom @kelbreyweek
They're in their last year of highschool, so their designs are kinda a continuation of the age up thing I did. They think they own the stage, AND THEY'RE RIGHT
#omori#omori aubrey#omori kel#omori aubrey fanart#omori kel fanart#omori fanart#kelbrey week 2023#digital art#sorry for the one page comic#i didnt forget kel's leg hair because HE WORE SOCKS#also there's this weird thing like in game kel DOES wear socks#but in the full body lineup Kel didn't wear socks(neither did Hero!!!)
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