choking on our halos

charles michael regbo//eighteen

"Good idea." Charlie said, following after her into the kitchen. Somehow the tension had mostly disappeared now that everyone was fucked up.

As he watched Rose open the fridge to grab the jelly, he hopped up onto the counter and sat there with a smirk; swinging his legs back and forth. After a few moments, he decided that his feet felt heavy, so he reached down and slipped his shoes off. He struggled a bit, almost losing his balance and falling forward, but he ended up victorious.

Leaning back on the counter, continuing to swing his legs, Charlie went back to watching her make the sandwiches. The radio from earlier was still playing, My Blood by Twenty One Pilots filling the silence.

"I can't get over it." Charlie said, watching Rose with his icy blue eyes. "Aaron has never, ever been high or drunk before. And now he's both."

Smoothing his hair back, Charlie decided that tonight was the weirdest night of his life. Like super, mega, ultra weird.

"This is probably his most fucked birthday yet." Charlie decided, still watching her make the sandwich. Somehow, it was very interesting to him. It even caused him to forget what he was talking about. Because of this, he changed the subject.

"So about earlier." He commented, hinting to the almost kiss that they had nearly had.

He wondered if she regretted it or if it scared her the way it scared him.

He didn't want to admit it, but it scared him to death. It was easy for him to love Rose and for her to hate him. Well, not exactly easy. But it was easier than having her still love him too. Because that meant there was a chance. A chance at love and a chance at ruining it all over again. It hurt too much to think about disappointing her again. He clearly wasn't good enough for her. He just couldn't break her heart again, to see her go through that much pain. He loved her, he just couldn't admit it. And he wasn't sure why.

He wouldn't be thinking this if he were still sober, he'd probably just push these thoughts away. But since he was fucked up, his emotions were getting the best of him.

Shaking his head, she shrugged slightly and told her, "Nevermind. Forget it."
They were probably better off just forgetting it ever happened.

aaron francis follows//eighteen

Aaron watched Charlie and Rose enter the kitchen and disappear around the corner. Which just left him alone with Tabi.

He was totally fucked in the head in that moment, his brain all warm and fuzzy. But all he could think about was Tabi; his dreamy girlfriend. He wanted to touch her and not just in the sexual sense. He wanted to hold her hand or caress her cheek.

"I love you so fucking much." He told her, bobbing his head and slurring his words. His face was numb. Bringing his hand to his cheek, he realized that he couldn't feel it.

"I am never getting this fucked up again. I feel funny."

For a moment, he closed his eyes and laid his head back. But then he realized that was a mistake because somehow the room was beginning to spin, so quickly opened his eyes again and sat back up.

He just really hoped he didn't throw up. Not only would that be embarrassing, but it was his god damn birthday. Well, technically it was the next day now. But until they all passed out, he was going to count it as his birthday.

Glancing over at Tabi, he stared at her; memorizing her features. She looked like she was hand sculpted by the gods.

A goofy smile was plastered on his face as he said, "How did I get so lucky?"

That really was the question, wasn't it? Tabi was the prettiest, most stunning girl he had ever seen in his life. She was funny, cute, adorable, had the kindest heart, the purest soul, and she always seemed to get him. It was almost like she was made for him. He never wanted to lose her. To him, there was no one else but her.

Leaning forward, Aaron kissed the crown of Tabi's hair. Which was very frizzy and curly, but he was able to contain his laughter. He thought she was gorgeous anyway. Even without makeup and her hair a mess and wearing his baggy clothes. If she wanted, they could get married like that; looking like absolute messes. But he had a feeling that Tabi would take their wedding a bit more seriously.

Aaron had meant to say all of this out loud, and for a moment he thought that he did. But then Tabi didn't respond to him and he realized he had been thinking all of it in his head all along. This caused him to chuckle to himself.

//i have actually been so cross-faded that i literally could not feel my face! like it was totally numb. kind of like when your foot falls asleep, but its your face. it was kind of scary, but at the time i thought it was fucking hilarious and laughed about it. i had drank almost an entire bottle of caramel flavored vodka [which was nice and sweet at first, especially mixed with soda, but after a while its just gross] and after i was officially drunk i smoked a blunt [with a group of friends, of course. i didn't smoke the whole thing by myself lol]. and then everyone was tired, so we went to bed. my friend [old friend, we don't really talk anymore] slept on the couch with her boyfriend and let me and kylee have her bed. yes, kylee was there. she was also fucked up, but not nearly as fucked as i was. anyway, our friend let us take her bed so we went to sleep. but sometimes when you're really fucked and you lay down and close your eyes, somehow the whole room is spinning and you feel really sick. so i tried to make it to the bathroom, but i ended up throwing up on kylee's pants [which were on the floor] and then passed out. kylee sprayed febreeze and then passed out too. and then i woke up at like 6 am for some reason and felt like shit lmaooo

this literally happened in like december i think lmao

but yeah, little fun, pointless story about me and kylee lol//

aaron francis follows//eighteen

Aaron grumbled as he felt a weight on top of him, still half asleep. His dream was beginning to fade and it made him frown. He was about to tell whoever woke him up to piss off, but then he recognized the scent; sweet, almost too sweet, like cotton candy.

He then heard her pouting voice and felt her gentle touch. His frown became a half smile as he mumbled, "Am I supposed to feel like shit?"

His head was pounding, like someone was playing with his skull like they thought it was their drum set. His entire body was sore, as if he had just ran a marathon... Or ten. His stomach growled from hunger, but also lurched at the idea of putting any food into his body. He knew full well he would just regurgitate it. He learned from Charlie not to eat actual food when you were hungover. You always drank a lot of liquids and if you really needed to eat then you nibbled on crackers or mushy foods. Unless you were used to keeping down your food after a bender, that is.

Aaron wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep and never wake up; to simply enjoy the bliss. But he knew he needed to take Tabi home eventually and that her parents were sure to ground her. He wasn't sure when they would see each other again, so he decided to make the best of their morning together.

At least he would see her at school, which there was only a couple more months left of. And hopefully her parents weren't too terrible as to ground her during the summer.

Rolling over slightly, with Tabi still on top of him, he faced her and kept his lazy grin. It was then that he realized she was only wearing his shirt and some underwear. He could clearly see bruises on her neck, her collarbone, and who knew where else. Aaron was his in his boxers himself. Which meant that they had slept together.

His memories were a little hazy, the images blurry in his mind. But he did remember certain things. The way her fingers traced his jawline, the way her fingernails dug into his back, the face she made when he found the right spot... But then he also remembered that they hadn't used protection. They must have been too fucked up and caught in the moment to remember to use it. He hoped that she was on birth control. If not, well... They'd address that when the time came.

Turning back onto his stomach, Aaron buried his face into his pillow. He was ever so tempted to chase his dream again, but then he heard Tabi's whine and chuckled.

"Alright, alright." He said, carefully moving her off of him and standing from the bed. He then ran a hand through his unwashed hair and looked down at Tabi, who still sat on his bed.

Leaning down, he kissed her on the crown of her hair and took in her strong, sweet scent once more. He then whispered, "My Tabby Cat."

Moving to stand straight, he stretched his arms and told her, "I'm not sure if your clothes are dry or not, I forgot to put them in the dryer. So you can always borrow some of my clothes."

With a small grin toward her, he moved to go to the bathroom. He really, really had to pee.

After that, he zipped his pants up and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. It was easy to tell that not only was he hungover, but that he had gotten laid the night before. He still had red scratch marks covering his body. This made him chuckle again before entering his bedroom.

There he went to the closet and grabbed some jeans and an old ratty t-shirt. Once dressed, he glanced at the clock. It was 2:30 PM.

"Hey, Tabby Cat? Its a little late for breakfast, but I will still make you some sausage and waffles if you want."

He wondered what his dad would say or if he would say anything at all. It was Saturday, so he didn't have work. Either he was still asleep or he'd be awake and sober enough to be mean to him. Aaron was too hungover to care at this point, though. If anything, he'd just give attitude back.

Looking back at Tabi, he smiled and motioned for her to follow him downstairs.

//lol my muse just hit me!//

aaron francis follows//eighteen

Once downstairs, Aaron entered the kitchen, but not before glancing at the sleeping forms of his friends in the living room.

Rose was sprawled out on the couch, who probably fell asleep while watching a movie with Charlie. Aaron and Tabi had kind of left abruptly and they needed to find a way to entertain themselves. She had a blanket on top of her and he figured that Charlie had put it there. Charlie himself was curled up on the recliner and drooling. They both wore the clothes they came in considering they didn't expect to stay the night.

There was empty bottle of alcohol, a few empty beer cans, and the empty baggy that had held the gummies on the floor.

There was no sign of his father.

Sighing in relief, Aaron went to the fridge and asked Tabi, "Sausage or bacon?"

Before she could answer he said, "Both." and then grabbed a package of each.

Turning on the stove, he placed a skillet on top and then began to open a package of bacon. Since this was probably her last time spending the night, and the last breakfast they would share, until the summer, he decided to make her whatever she wanted. Or at least, whatever he could with the scarce amount f food in his fridge.

He was tempted to turn on the radio and get some tunes going, but he didn't want to wake Charlie and Rose.

While the bacon was cooking, he went back to the fridge. He then grabbed coconut water and a can of Red Bull. He then grabbed a glass from the cabinet and began to pour some of each in the glass. It was a concoction that Rose had made up called Bull Nuts. She swore it cured hangovers. Or at least lessened the symptoms.

He made one for Tabi too and placed it on the counter in front of her. He then smiled and said, "It'll help."

While making the waffles, he told her, "I know it'll suck for you to be grounded, but at least we have school. We may not have any classes or lunch together, but I will sneak into your classroom or your lunch period if I have to."

He turned from the waffles to grin at Tabi before turning back around to finish making their food.

He continued to sip at his drink, hoping it would start helping soon. Man, he felt shitty. He had a really rough night and he thought that getting fucked up would help. It really didn't. He still had no idea why his friends, along with other people such as his dad, did this to themselves. It hadn't been fun enough to do it again any time soon.

aaon francis follows//eighteen

Aaron smiled to himself, glad to be making Tabi happy. He didn't want her feeling nervous about her parents and what happened last night.

Glancing back at her, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her bed-head. Her frizzy hair was sticking up all over the place. He just thought it was the cutest thing.

"I won't get caught." He said with a confident smirk. He knew he couldn't promise that, but getting caught once or twice wasn't going to stop him from seeing her. Nothing in the world could keep him from her.

When she asked where he learned to cook, his smile faded and he became unnaturally still. It didn't last but a moment before he went back to flipping bacon.

"My mom." He replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn't even sure if she had heard him or not.

He worried about his mom a lot. It had been months since he last heard from her. He didn't know where she was, who she was with, or what she was doing. She could be a stripper in some foreign country for all he knew. He hadn't tried contacting her out of spite, but she hadn't tried contacting him either. Things were a shit show around the house without her. He wondered how a mother could just up and leave her son with the deadbeat dad, not even bothering to call on his birthday.

Deciding to change the subject, Aaron forced another smile on his lips and turned to hand a plate to Tabi. "Bon appetit."

he didn't bother making himself one. He knew he would just toss it back up when he was finished.

"When do you think I should bring you home?" He asks, rather reluctantly. He didn't actually want to take her home. He wished that she could just live with him instead.

aaron francis follows//eighteen

Aaron frowned at her words. As soon as she was done eating? That was too soon. And if they did send her to rehab, it would last months and he couldn't go that long without seeing her. And he was sure her parents wouldn't let him call and usually only family members could visit.

Moving stealthily around the kitchen counter, Aaron approached her with a sly grin. He then leaned forward and gently placed his lips onto hers. Pulling away slightly, he smiled at her and said, "Can't you stay a bit longer?"

Holding his arm up, he pulled his sleeve back and stared at the white expanse of his wrist. "By my watch, we have at least another hour."

Placing his hands on her waist, he kissed her temple and exhaled softly. "It won't hurt to stay a bit longer. Your parents are texting and calling, and lo, the world continueth to spin."

He knew she needed to get home soon, but he needed just a bit more time with her. He couldn't give her away so easily. She was the love of his life and said life was going to suck when they couldn't grab ice cream at three in the morning and then hookup in the parking lot.

School was going to be a nightmare. There was only a month left, but that seemed like forever in that moment.

Sure, he would have Charlie and Rose to sit with at senior lunch period, but he wouldn't have Tabi. Though it was better than where he used to sit. He used to sit at the table in the furthest corner of the lunchroom - at the nerd table. He wasn't judgmental, he used to be one of those nerds. The high school they went to just had factions and this one happened to be for the intelligent, not exactly attractive, and not very social boys. As well as a few girls who hadn't learned how to dress to show their curves or put on makeup just yet. Plus, they didn't act dumb like the popular guys liked them to be. That was his designated table for years and he figured he would stay there until he met Charlie.

But Tabi always snuck into the cafeteria to eat lunch with them during her foreign literature class, the one she had already finished all the coursework for. The teacher didn't mind at all what she did because she had aced the class half way through the semester.

Tabi really was a smart girl, but she was misunderstood - plastered with labels thrown at her by her peers. But Aaron could see he for what and who she truly was.

"Seriously. What's the big deal, Tabby Cat?" He chuckled before beginning to kiss her neck. He tried to focus on reaching up her shirt and leaving yet another mark on her neck, but the fact that her parents were waiting on her kept popping up in the back of his mind like the memory of a bad dream.

Groaning in frustration, he pushed the thoughts away and grabbed her hips - picking her up and placing her on the counter. Her legs wrapped around his waist and when she moaned he put a finger to his lips. Their friends were just in the other room.

Aaron then moved his hand elsewhere, somewhere that made her have to cover her mouth with her hand.

"Fuck," Aaron muttered at her facial expression, one that made him want her even more.

//omg the song consequences by camila cabello fits rose and charlie sooo well!

lol aaron really tryna fck XD//

//do you wanna go to pms? or shall we skip?//

//okay yeah true lmaoooo//

aaron francis follows//eighteen

Aaron parked his new truck and slumped back into his seat. He hated this. He even refused to look at her house, as if somehow that would make it disappear.

The radio was softly playing a new Ariana Grande song, but he didn't recognize it. Rose was always telling him to listen to her music but he wasn't exactly a fan of mainstream pop.

When Tabi spoke, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Part of him, a very large part, thought about putting the truck back into drive and just taking off. They could become gypsies - travelling the country, stealing to survive, never staying in one place long. But he knew that wasn't an option. It wouldn't be fair to Tabi. She still had another year of high school left and a bright future ahead of her. He wasn't about to take that from her just because they couldn't stand to be apart.

"We can make it." Aaron said as he reached out and gently grabbed her hand in his. "We still have the rest of our lives together."

What was a month or so compared to the rest of their lives?

Finally, he looked over at the Scotsman residence. The grass was a very pale green and perfectly trimmed. The white picket fence, the welcome mat with a pun on it, the letter S hanging on the front door... He knew why Tabi didn't like it there. They were trying too hard to be perfect and she reveled in her imperfection.

Bringing his cerulean gaze back toward Tabi, he squeezed her hand and said, "Just promise me that you will call me or leave me a letter under the mat or something. Just something to let me know that you're gone so I know to wait."

He knew if they sent her to rehab that she would come back to him eventually, but he just needed the clarification.

Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her lips. He then rested his forehead against hers and whispered, "Just come back to me, Tabby Cat."

They stayed like that for a little bit, just relishing in the time they had together before she had to leave for who knew how long.

When it was time for her to go inside and she backed away, he caught her and pulled her back to kiss her one last time. It was deep and passionate, but it didn't seem to last long enough.

"I love you." He said to her in a voice heavy with emotion. He really did love her. He didn't know that he could love someone so deeply, so vividly - especially at his age. Funny, how you can meet someone and have no clue how much they would mean to you later on.

As she stepped out of his truck, he thought for a moment about getting out himself and running after her. He wanted to hold her in his arms one last time, but he knew if he did that he would never let her go.

When the door opened and she disappeared into the house, he felt his eyes sting with the threat of tears. He wouldn't let himself cry though. This wasn't good-bye forever, just for now.

charles michael regbo//eighteen

Charlie's soft snores stopped abruptly as his eyes blinked open. The first thing he noticed was the pain. His neck was sore from sleeping in the chair, his head was still spinning from the night before, and his stomach was growling in an attempt to beg for food.

Looking around, he then noticed that he was alone. He wondered where everyone was.

Checking his phone, he saw that it was already close to dinner time. How had he slept all day? He knew his parents wouldn't mind that he had been gone all day, they knew that he was at Aaron's. He could honestly leave to another country for a month and tell them he was at Aaron's and they wouldn't question it.

Other than checking the time, he checked his text messages. Most of them were from Gabriela. She went off on him last night with many, many paragraphs about why he was such a dick. Then he got a text this morning that said:

Good morning 😊

Charlie chuckled to himself and decided to text her back. Back to his old ways, as always. He couldn't help it. He was the way he was. People don't just change, not really. No one got a clean slate, no matter how much they wished for one.

After sending the text, he slipped his phone back into his pocket. It was then that he heard a commotion in the kitchen.

Standing from the chair and stretching his arms and back, he shook himself out and walked toward the noise. He passed by the dining room on the way to the kitchen and noticed the marks on the table. He laughed to himself - knowing full well that there was no way those were from the cat.

When he entered the kitchen, he was assaulted by the bright yellow sunlight and squinted his eyes. Luckily the sun would be setting soon.

"Mornin'" He told Rose with a cheeky grin. He knew that morning had long passed, but he just thought it was funny.

He then noticed that she had made them one of her famous remedies: coconut water and red bull. He hated coconut, it tasted awful to him, but it did work to help with his hangover.

He took the finished drink and held the cup in his hand with a small frown. He knew she was probably still pissed at him, but she still made him a drink. He couldn't help but feel himself become consumed by guilt.

"Thanks." He said in a bored voice before walking over toward the radio. He turned it on and Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers began to play. Charlie bobbed his head and sipped at the drink that left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You should she the dining room table." He said, trying to make conversation. "If we don't ever see Tabi again, then at least they got to go out with some rough sex."

He laughed again, but it sounded empty. He really did care if Tabi left because he cared about Aaron. He knew his best friend was the type to let his emotions rule over him and would probably go off the deep end. He didn't want to see him go through that. Still, he was glad that they had set them up. They seemed really happy together.

Looking up at Rose with eyes the color of the ocean, he tried to hide his smile. When he looked at her, he just felt safe - the way you felt relief when you finally got home after a long night. That was it. She was home.

For a moment, he felt like the breakup had just been a bad dream. But neither of them were going to forget what happened. He was going to be lashed out at by Rose for the rest of their lives, probably. He understood that she would always be upset that he broke her heart. He didn't blame her.

He suddenly got another text message from Gabriela. It read:

i hope i can see you again today ❤

He didn't respond. He just turned his phone off and stuffed it back into his pocket.