#my oc: aubrey monroe

[lilyoffandoms]

Blaine x Aubrey & Aubrey x Tatum

Played FA again not that long ago and decided I wanted to switch up Aubrey a bit. Still love their other look but feel this fits them better.

Event Tag: @choicesmcappreciationweek (Day Seven: LGBT+ and Proud) & @choicesficwriterscreations (AotW)

My Art Ish Thing Tag (Choices Edition): @storyofmychoices @aallotarenunelma @twinkleallnight @dutifullynuttywitch @loreofyore @peonierose @trappedinfanfiction

[cinderellaenjoyer]

Cosma's Nightmare Time!

That's right, folks! Your girl's planned out a whole Nightmare Time fan-series! 20 episodes of both canon characters and my OCs getting put into situations, including rewrites of three of the original episodes!

Heavily inspired by @pastriibunz Nightmare Kai-me!

Forever and Always

Olive is overjoyed when her sister Emma marries Paul Matthews. Finally, they'll have a happy, stable life, a life that'll go just how Olive planned it. But all is not as it seems, and soon Olive discovers her sister and brother-in-law might not be what they seem

Honey Queen

Summer is in the air, and the annual Honey Festival is steadily approaching. Linda Monroe and Zoey Chambers will do whatever it takes to win the crown at the Honey Queen Pageant. For Marcella Johnson, however, it just seems to be a fun little thing to try out, much to the confusion of her competitors. It's not about having fun, it's about winning!

Hey Melissa!

Savannah and Rose find themselves tangled up in shenanigans with Sav’s co-workers, including Office Creep 2 Freddie Briggs and office secretary Melissa.

Loser Status

Max's friends have had enough of him, and finally stand up to him. Unfortunately, all this does is make Max announce them as losers. And by next Monday, everyone at school seems to know it. The strange part is, no one seems to remember them being popular at all. The gang must work together to adjust to their new social life and find out what changed them from clique to geeks

Rinse Re-Pete

Max Jagerman falls and dies in the Waylon Place, comes back as a ghost, and kills anyone he deems a ‘nerdy prude.’ But where the story changes here is that Peter Spankoffsi - with the help of a certain yellow goat - is given the chance to stop it from happening. Pete is determined to stop anyone from dying, to make sure no one is harmed, no many how many loops he has to go through to do it. But as the loops go and Pete's sanity wears down, his objective changes from making sure Ruth and Richie live and making sure Max stays dead.

The Kitty Cat Club!

19 year old Melissa Hey loves two (well, technically 4) things - cats, and her childhood friends Aubrey, Krissy and Mina. But as close as the girls are, they're growing up, and soon they'll be adults with busy lives and little time for each other. The girls are desperate for a way to spend time with each other. Luckily got them (and less luckily for everyone else), the creeps at Melissa’s internship give her an idea

Siren's Serenade

After almost drowning, Rose Spankoffsi’s body starts to change in strange and unusual ways - ways that are weirder than puberty. Rose isn't sure what's going on, but what she does know is that she's getting more scaly and her singing voice is getting better. On top of that, three mysterious women seem to be following her wherever she goes. Slowly, Rose starts to adjust to her new gifts, and suddenly she's questioning if she wants to keep her humanity at all.

The New Kid

Sunset Jagerman is sick of her brother, point blank. So when she sees him picking on shy new kid Jordan, Sunset befriends him out of spite. Slowly, the two’s bond becomes genuine, and they begin to like each other’s company. But Jordan has secrets, secrets he doesn't want Sunset finding out. Sunset tries not to push, but when curiousity gets the better of her, blood starts to get spilled.

Forget Me Not

Gone are the angsty, lonely, grieving days of Savannah Lamb’s teenage years. Sav has a job she's pretty okay with, a decently sized apparenment to herself, and most importantly, co-workers she can consider friends. It doesn't get much better for this. Unfortunately, a certain Lady in Black has other plans, ones that include getting Sav to dig up a memory that has haunted her for years.

Cheerleader 3000

Lacey Brooklyn Brent is the perfect cheerleader. Preppy, full of energy, always positive. A little too perfect, at least to Brenda and Stacey. The girls try to let their suspicions slide, but when Lacey starts acting weird and getting more and more defensive about cheer - well, the popular girls aren't exactly known for minding Thier own business

The Hatchet Girl

Max Jagerman’s bullying chased Lindsey Topet out of Hatchetfield High in sophomore year. So it's a wonder to anyone why she decides to come back to the same place that caused her so much pain. Well, that is until the popular kids start dying.

Space Star

Rose is a Spankoffsi. She is also the perfect little actress. Nobody wants two lords in black fighting over them, but unfortunately for Rose, she ends up caught in a fight between T'noy Karaxis and Pokotho to be their specialist little toy.

Universal Revenge

Angelou Brailer was once in Max Jagerman's little posse, until he got kicked out. When he returns to Hatchetfield High, students are immediately enamored by him and the chrisma he radiates. Max is determined to drag him back down again, but comes to discover Angelou has different plans, as well as some… divine intervention.

Little Candy Shop of Horrors

Stephanie Lauter makes an unusual new friend at the new candy store in town. One that's sweet, and craves it too. Unfortunately, Steph's new friend’s favorite treat is red and sticky, and is instant on Steph getting it for her.

Heart Eyes

Marcella has never really liked love triangles in fiction. So, when she finds herself in one, she's not very thrilled. Especially not when then triangle consists of her long time crush Bill Woodward and an Eldritch Eye God.

The Nightmare Well

After a visit to a mysterious well, PJ finds herself having frequent nightmares. What's more is that she finds herself coming back to the well over and over again, becoming more enticed to jump inside. She enlists Reese's help, but it soon becomes apparent the well has no intention of leaving her, or anyone, alone.

Pretty and Perfect

Lola Drayson is sick of being a Nerdy Prude. So when a beautiful red haired woman offers her the chance to be everything she's ever wanted to be - perfect, pretty and popular - Lola jumps at the chance. Lola is thrilled by her new life, despite her best friend Michelle's concerns. But beauty comes at a cost, and Lola's dreams are soon to become a total nightmare.

Web of Melodies

Michelle signs up for the town Talent show, hoping it'll take her mind of the weird visions she's been having recently. She's happy to meet most of the other performers, but one in particular seems somewhat suspicious. And when an old friend shows up, Michelle realizes just what she's getting into.

Honey Queen, 2009

What happened at the 2009 Honey Festival? How did six (known) people end up dead? That's for Christine Jagerman to know, and you to find out.

Grace Chasity and T'noy Karaxis VS The World(s)!

Tinky's been having a little too much fun lately, but luckily Grace is willing to help him clean up his mess. With a lot of annoying comments, of course.

[ruvviks]

your nathan posting got me googling abt tew btw. ALSO wanted to ask - how do you pick your ocs' names, based on their meaning or do you just pick random names? 👀

HEHEHE i'm dragging everyone with me into tew hell it's so fun in here. highly recommend checking out the games or at least a playthrough it's genuinely so so fun

generally i pick ocs' names on vibes tbh! i usually get a visual for a new guy first and then choose a name that fits with that appearance / aesthetic or the theme(s) i'm going for. occasionally i'll also look up meanings if i'm feeling fancy or when i can't choose between a few names, and then i pick the one with the meaning that would work best :D

i like using "unconventional" names for my ocs, so for example aubrey and james valentine with aubrey mainly using he/him pronouns and james mainly using she/her pronouns (though they swap pronoun sets whenever they feel like it), and mackenzie and isabel valiente who are both men :] or just more rare names in general, like gaige, ryder, maverick, nestor, and huxley. i tend to take ethnicity into account as well when picking names; kaida was born to japanese parents despite being born in night city and thus has a japanese name, and back at arasaka xe would always write xyr last name before the first name (so akiyama kaida)

some ocs are created in pairs (aubrey and james as twins, maverick and monroe as twins, daphne and morrigan as sisters, jin and suki as "twins", mack and murphy (the latter belongs to @mojaves but they're a package deal) or entire families in general (vitali with his siblings daniil and roksana, and his parents matvey and nadya; vincent and his siblings robert, phoebe, jason, and riley, and his parents richard and elise) in which case i also make sure the names sound nice together! again most of this is just based on vibes and me saying the names out loud to myself in my bedroom to check if they all match LMAO

then there's also ocs where i need them to have like, a dramatic name if that makes sense?? like ambrose hawthorne, malachi daneiros, rowdy mccain, etc etc are all names that once you have them in your system they're very easy to remember because they stand out if that makes sense. especially when i need a character to be powerful or radiate authority or stand out from their surroundings through being extra or bold or whatever i tend to give them a name to match :]

for my vampires story specifically i went with VERY over the top names because it fits the aesthetic i have in mind for the universe. the names are very big and dramatic like heavenly rowinski, andromache and mirage bellevere, aloysius "doc" goodman, etc etc. so yeah it really depends on the rest of the context for the oc i'm making where i get their name from!! i always love coming up with names for guys it's one of my favorite parts of character creation :]

[pxjiminsi]

Walk of Shame

Chapter 3 from the Series: Before you go

Pairing: Jimin x reader, Taehyung x reader, Jin x OC, OT5 x reader platonic love

Fic Type: Slice of life au

Genre: slice of life, fluff, mild smut, and a healthy amount of angst

Warning: few cuss words, slight humping, love bites

Word count: 2.8k

A/n: Hi! Leave a message if you liked this chapter! I’m just happy to get my first likes on the first chapters! Enjoy!

It’s been 2 weeks since you’ve landed in L.A, and so far it’s been great. You explored the city with Soo Yun and her family, specifically loving the Architectural tours as Soo Yun’s father is an Architect himself. Visiting the Getty Center and Museum was your peak. Its view overlooking the whole of Los Angeles relieved some of your burdens, relieving your guilt in leaving your life in Korea. You also visited the LACMA, The Broad, and the Hollywood Bowl, such Architectural porn that you haven’t seen before. 

Sleepovers were also your and Soo Yun’s thing back then and you’re doing it all now again. Watching horror movies in bed while wearing matching pajamas with hot popcorn, ice cream, and cola between your legs. You both particularly liked slasher films over anything else and you think that the Final Destination series are *chef’s kiss*. 

In the middle of Final Destination 3, Soo Yun casually slid if you'll ever meet with Jimin again. Though you highly doubt it’s you and Jimin she’s thinking about. She kind of developed a crush on Jin, I couldn’t blame her of course. You were as captivated just by hearing his voice on the phone, but seeing him was entirely different. From his height to his broad shoulders Soo Yun fell deep. He’s just not your type though. 

After your last encounter, you told her everything. From having no real friends ever since she left, that issue you had in school which forced you to quit and leave Korea, your uncertain relationship with Jae, and your falling apart with your parents to that wonderful time with Jimin at the plane and to the bag mix-up. And these 2 weeks were nothing but great because of your friend’s support, you got one by your side and that’s enough for you. 

“Did you know about their upcoming showcase? I heard they’re free.” She asked while chomping on popcorn not leaving her eyes on the screen. “How did you even know about that?” surprised that she’s more updated than you. Though you have no obligation to keep up with their schedule. “I have a friend at school who knows them. I even bragged about meeting 3 of their members” her grin almost reaching her ears for being so pleased with herself. “I’m surprised at Jimin for not getting your phone number from Jin, some guys will go for it even if you told them not too, you know?” she paused the movie to get more popcorn downstairs. 

But some other guys are not Jimin, you thought as you leaned back to your pillow to stare at the ceiling. And duh what he did is nothing to be proud of, it's like the threshold for basic manners. But what do I know, I have been in a relationship for a year now and I don’t even know if this is what relationships should look and feel like. I know that I shouldn't base and compare my relationship to movies or any Nicholas Sparks’ books, but why do I feel like it’s much closer to Stephen King’s works.

“Jae would like to video chat with you” your phone vibrates. Speaking of the devil. You answer and immediately see him with eyes focused on the screen probably playing Diablo or God of War. “Hi babe, what’s up, where are you?” he said. 

Where are you? What the fuck, you’ve been in L.A for 2 weeks and he asks where are you?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? 

“Babe, I'm in L.A remember. Soo Yun and I are watching movies. And it’s like 3 pm there, why aren’t you in school?” you calmly said clenching your jaw, checking the time on your phone. 10:23 pm. “Uh, okay mom. I didn’t feel like going, I feel like I might follow your step and quit school this time.” he snickers. He knows you don’t enjoy bringing up that topic, but what did you expect? “Kidding babe, lighten up. I called because I miss you, I miss your cooking, I miss cuddling, and I miss you between my --" you stop him as Soo Yun enters the room again.

"Hey, it's Soo Yun, Soo Yun's here Jae, say hi!" Panicky facing your phone in front of her. "Hi Jae, still a dick to y/n?" she said without even looking at your phone. You look at her not believing she said that rolling her eyes at you in return. "Hi Soo Yun, and no, if there's an award for best boyfriend, I’m winning that effortlessly."

"Babe we're going to finish the movie and head out early tomorrow for a tour, I’ll call you tomorrow. I love -- " ignoring Soo Yun's death stare at you to hang up the phone now.  "Mmkay, bye" he overlapped then hung up.

"Romantic." Soo Yun sarcastically said, rolling her eyes then clicks play on the remote. You sink in your place sighing, placing a pillow on your face.

10 a.m and you're ready for the last stop of your tour before starting to look for work. You admire yourself in the mirror, liking what Soo Yun picked for you to wear today. A yellow sundress to go with your white air force 1's, accessorizing it with your gold necklace with your initials, small gold hoops, and sunglasses. You wear your mid-length hair down, but you have a scrunchy in your wrist if it starts to bother you.

Your last stop for today is the Hollywood sign and the Walk of fame before heading to lunch then movies afterward. You hopped in the car and set-up the GPS to the Hollywood Sign while waiting for Soo Yun and his dad to drop you two off. Feeling giddy as road trips were always your stress reliever. 

As you reach your destination, you close your eyes feeling the warmth of the sun wrapping around your skin, the sun shining brightly. Being the city girl that you were, you don’t mind the busy street, the hustle of people rushing off for work or running errands, people on the phone strutting while handling coffee carefully, these things puts you at ease. You smiled subconsciously at the busy scene, it makes you feel like you’re not alone. No dark clouds hanging over your head. After you took pictures in the Hollywood sign, Soo Yun appealed to go to your next destination. Of course, she wasn’t as excited as you. She’s been seeing all this for years now. 

You went inside the car humming, excited as you're a sucker for street performances, which are very well known in L.A. Nearing the Walk of Fame, traffic became apparent, so you Soo Yun’s dad decided to drop you both off. Soo Yun left you to meet some friends, but it was okay because you’re looking for some alone time too. 

You were like a child whose first time visiting Disneyland, meandering eyes everywhere, tasting every street food available, from pretzels to hotdogs to falafels. Once full, you started taking photos of everything in sight, and when I tell you everything, it’s EVERYTHING. From street performers to passing cars, to the fucking stars of each artist you knew. You especially love Cate Blanchett’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Classic actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Aubrey Hepburn, your romance movie idols. You take pictures of your favorite singers this time until THWACK you stupidly slammed yourself and fall on the floor butt first, putting your bare thighs on display and your dress through your midsection exposing your white lace panties for all tourists, street performers, and Californians to see. 

Thankfully and Instantly, someone threw their jacket over your thighs and handed their hand with their head turned around. “Jimin?” you asked hazily. You don’t know if you bumped your head too much and you’re hallucinating Jimin now. “Ow!!!!! That fucking hurt” you squinted on your side and see Taehyung bent over his knees holding his forehead with both hands. You don’t know which is more embarrassing, Californians and tourists seeing your undergarment, creating a commotion to hundreds of people, or Jimin seeing your panties. 

Why are you even alive, contemplating, you quickly used Jimin’s hand to lift yourself, brushed the dust off of your dress, and rushed to see Taehyung. “Tae, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Ready to cuss with his tiny fists raised and widened eyes, he looked at his attacker, “Yah!” he then quickly realizes it’s you, and his facial features immediately softened, still teary-eyed from the pain. “Y/n?” he exclaimed, eyes wide open. ”Hi Tae, nice bumping into you” you try, that's okay. You offered your hand to help him. ”Ha, funny.” he said with a straight face while taking your hand lifting him.

”What are you both doing here anyway?” you asked the both of them taking a peek at Jimin whose ears are still red and not giving you a chance to see his whole flustered face as he still has his back turned away from you giving flyers to passersby.

You don't want to see him too anyway, admit it or not, you missed him. Also in this past week, images of him and you pop at unconventional times of the day. When watching romantic films, taking a bath, especially when you're horny as fuck. Imagining his arms pinning you down while he glides his body on you, his eyes deep within yours, kissing every part of you starting from your lips, to your neck, to your breasts. Him sucking your nipples with those thick luscious lips while his free hand playing the other makes your pussy wet so much that you usually use the showerhead to relieve yourself. You hate yourself most times because of these dirty thoughts, so no, you don't want to see him.

”We're handing out flyers for our concert in 3 days, Tae over here, killing it especially with the ladies.” Jimin finally faced without giving you eye-contact. ”You look pretty, by the way,” he said in a soft voice, almost not wanting you to hear his words, while handing out more flyers to Tae to distribute. ”Thanks, you're both not too bad” You smiled at the both of them eyeing Jimin's perfectly brushed black hair, as usual, plain white tee and grey sweatpants. Taehyung's brown hair was perfectly swept with his red snapback, white tee, and black shorts.

”I'm very irresistible, I know that.” there he goes flashing his smile. You didn't doubt it though, he has this cute innocent face that is very alluring, notably his boxy smile that you would give him anything if he asked. He can easily approach people and get something from them, yet he has this audacity proclaiming he's shy all the time. The three of you laugh as if you know each other for a while now, forgetting the embarrassment you all had earlier.

”Y/n, you're bleeding!” his smile disappeared within seconds when his eyes accidentally roamed through your knees. You probably grazed them when you fell. You see the sudden concern in Jimin's face, but before you can do anything about it or say anything, he suddenly shoved the remaining flyers to Taehyung's chest and in a flash, your arms were wrapped around his neck as he lifted you from your place. You were too stunned to speak as his feet started to scurry. Leaving a shocked Taehyung in the streets. ”Wh-what? Where are we going??” he doesn't answer you, but he looked at you with that pretty smile that you missed so much and said,” I got you, I missed you, y/n.”

”What the hell, Jimin, your job was to hand flyers to women, not kidnap one!” this guy with skin white as snow and very cute squinty eyes exclaimed as he opened the door of their van for you and Jimin. ”This is y/n, we bumped into her earlier, literally. Y/n this is Yoongi, one of our members and the one who most annoys me recently.” he uttered as he plopped you in the seat behind the drivers and scampered the van for the first aid kit. ”Hi, I'm y/n, sorry for the intrusion” you can see he’s not paying attention to you because his face has confusion written all across his face. He scrunches his eyebrows as if he's remembering something.

Jimin started to tender on your bruise, initially taken aback as he needs to touch your bare legs, you notice that his ears are starting to blush again. Seeing how Jimin is flustered while attending to your leg, laughter bursts in Yoongi's mouth, exposing his cute gummy smile which you first thought was unexpected of his personality. ”You're y/n, the one who broke our Jimin's heart, he won't stop talking about you since last week!” he can't stop laughing as he continues to smack his hand at Jimin's back.

What? Broke his heart? 

You can't help but widen your eyes to Yoongi's sudden announcement. Jimin’s mouth dropped as he shoved Yoongi out of the van and closed the door, leaving the two of you in awkward silence. ”Hey!! I'll be going to Taehyung to help him, don't leave the van, okay? Have fun love birds” as he taps at the window goodbye. The car is so quiet you can hear Yoongi strut away. 

He started to dab disinfectant to your wound, as soon as he felt your sudden twitch because of the sting, lightly and carefully as possible, he blew on your wound. You stare at him, heart pounding. Thinking about what Yoongi said. Was everything true? That he missed you? Because you want to say you missed him too, that he hasn't left your mind too since then, that you're sorry for leading him on, that you also want to get to know him better, that you don't want anything at all at this moment but to be held and kissed by him. You feel your heart ready to burst out from this overwhelming noise in all this quietness. He slowly lifts his head meeting your gaze. It's as if he heard everything that your heart wanted to tell him. He slowly begins to lean in on you, closer, closer, your eyes admire every aspect of his face as he comes close to yours. His slightly widened eyes, to his flushed cheeks, and his lips. You try to control yourself, but seeing him made you stop thinking and over-analyzing. 

You finally close the gap between your lips. He cupped your face, allowing him to slide his tongue to your mouth, as your head automatically tilted to the other side of his face, moaning slightly in his. Your hands slowly wrapped itself to his neck pulling his kiss deeper into you. He slowly roamed his hands from your legs to your thighs, his innocently flushed face looked at you, looking for approval, you closed your eyes and nodded. He began to trail kisses from your cheeks, then your ear, to your neck. Jimin couldn’t stop the moan coming from your lips as he started to pull the strap of your dress away from your shoulder with his teeth then proceeded to kiss your shoulders, using his hands to tug your dress away from your upper body, exposing your black brasserie. You also quickly pulled off his white shirt, leaving you completely blown away by his amazing abs. He laughed at your reaction, placing kisses on your thighs. You felt in your leg that he's already so hard in those pants. As he began to pull your lace panties down, your phone began to ring. You try to ignore it completely as you're too indulged in this moment, but you realize Soo Yun is going to panic if she doesn't reach you. ”Sorry, I have to get this.” he nods, sitting behind you as he sweeps your hair off of your shoulders and gently leaving love bites on it. 

”Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere. I'm with Jeongguk, Jin, and Namjoon right now. I bumped into them while looking for you. They invited me for dinner so we're heading back to their car right now.” Your eyes both widened as the both of you scrambled to get dressed and fix your appearances. ”Uh I'm actually with Jimin, I bumped into him and Tae earlier..” You breathlessly exclaim as you both exit the van roaming your eyes to Jimin's group and Soo Yun. ”Oh okay, we're almost there, we can see you two now!” she hung up the phone. Leaving you two, again, in awkward silence.

”I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry, y/n ” head looking down. You can see his frustration in his face as he kicks rocks to vent. You felt guilty. You're the one that's sorry. You cheated on Jae and you let Jimin feel bad again. ”No, I'm sorry. As much as it was confusing, I don't regret kissing you. Let’s talk about this later” tugging the end of his shirt and quickly letting go, ending your complicated encounter as Jimin's friends and Soo Yun approached the car.

[lilyoffandoms]

I'm curious about Aubrey, Cian, Elam and Gabriel... 8

Aubrey (FA): It depends on the individual. They can easily fall into conversation with some and then there are others they would definitely rather avoid and struggle to get along with. Particularly they struggle with those people that think rather highly of themselves or think they are better than others. They make mixed impressions but in the end they often make a good to neutral impression.

Cian (VoS): Yes, he can get along with just about anyone and do so very easily. His charm goes along way in helping him with this. He pretty much always make a good impression.

Elam (TCH): They strive to get along with everyone but often they have little choices in how others get along with them and it is often others that make the relationship strained despite how hard Elam may try and make it work. Given the world they live in, they often make a very bad impression on most unless others are willing to let go of their prejudices.

Gabriel (CoP): They do not get along with many people at all and it takes a helluva lot of effort to get them to even attempt at getting them to even consider getting to know someone beyond a first meeting. They have few they are close to but are fiercely loyal to anyone they decide to open up to. Because they close themselves off and are brisk and prickly they often make a very bad first impression on others.

[lilyoffandoms]

Tatum & Aubrey by @nukeyyy

[lilyoffandoms]

Choices Drabble - Tatum x Aubrey

From the daily prompt for the @choicesmonthlychallenge​ day 30 (just breath).

Warnings & A/N: No real warnings though it takes place after the attack on the slopes back in Aubrey’s suite. Failed at finishing my DSAW day seven drabble so have this drabble from an entirely different book.

Aubrey sat stiffly on the bed, still in shock from the encounter. They were tiring from the stress on their body and looking for something to occupy their time as Tatum check and recheck every possible weakness and touched base with the rest of the security team. Their hands found an old photo album Tatum had put together for them years ago when the two were but children.

Photos of them together from kindergarten to what must have been fifth or sixth grade. A birthday gift if they remembered correctly.

Aubrey ran a finger along the edge of one of the photographs. The two of them, Tatum dressed as a firefighter and Aubrey dressed as the president. Their arms around each other, holding each other tightly, their faces sticky to match the sugar rush they were still experiencing from that night’s trick-o-treating expedition. But it was their smiles that caught Aubrey’s attention.

They looked so happy and carefree. Just two friends, no politics, no time apart, no distance between them. Just happiness.

The sigh escaped them without their knowledge to be barely interrupted by Tatum clearing his throat from the doorway.

“Perimeter’s clear.”

“Thanks,” Aubrey responded absentmindedly, fingers still tracing their bright smiles, trying to somehow chase the memory of that feeling.

They barely noticed as Tatum sat beside them. The bed sinking beneath him was the only thing that registered in Aubrey’s mind.

“You still have this old thing?” Tatum asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Aubrey chuckled.

Closing it, they looked at the handmade cover a little worn over the years and trips to and from schools as Aubrey had moved from room to room as they grew bored with the various rooms within the president’s manor, and then from the manor to university, back to the manor, and now to grad school. The drawings worn with time and some of the collage pieces missing or beginning to peel from the cover.

“Can’t believe you still have this,” Tatum said taking it from Aubrey to flip through it himself, smiling at the various photos and handwritten notes he had placed within it. 

“Why wouldn’t I still have it?” Aubrey asked bewildered. 

“I guess I assumed you have tossed it long ago,” Tatum said looking Aubrey in the eyes for the first time.

“Never! It’s my favorite, most treasured possession. It’s from you. It’s all...,” they trailed off as tears began to flow.

Tatum set the book aside and pulled Aubrey into a hug as sobs began to wrack their body. Shushing as he rubbed their back in slow circles and Aubrey’s tears wet his suit coat as their hands grabbed fistfuls of it to draw them closer together.

“Just breathe.”

“It’s all I had left of you, photos and memories, that’s all I had for so many years,” they choked back sobs as all their emotions from all the lost years and the day came crashing to the surface.

Tatum paused as the meaning of those words hit him before choking on his own emotions. 

“Aubrey. I’m- ” he pulled back to look at Aubrey. Taking both of their cheeks in his hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”

But he was cut off by Aubrey’s lips softly on his own. Tasting salty of their tears yet somehow the sweetest of tastes.

——————————

Tags: @storyofmychoices