Just a kid who loves photography and his significant other.

[ P E R S O N A L I T Y ]

[ agreeable | clear-headed | cheerful ]
[ aimless | sarcastic ]
[ indulgent | ridiculous | transparent ]

[ H I S T O R Y ]

AJ Gray lived in a small one-room studio apartment in the city with his single mother. While they didn’t live a particularly luxurious life, they were happy, and that was enough for them.

Unfortunately, while AJ was in early high school, their apartment kicked them out, stating over-capacity as their reason. Rent in the city was steadily rising, so they tried to find someplace cheaper— and you know, that neighborhood over there is pretty cheap, isn’t it? There are rumors of magic, but it can’t be toobad, right? They rented a small apartment on the edge of the Woods, close enough that AJ could still attend his old high school, but far enough that their monthly rent was easily achievable by his mother’s job at a diner. AJ himself found a part-time job working at the local newspaper, mostly running coffee for them and helping format last-minute articles. Eventually, he started taking pictures for them, using his exploration of his new neighborhood to find new stories for the writers while he captured the images in a camera his mother had bought for him for his 14th birthday. Part-time work became a full-time job, and AJ didn’t really see much reason to leave the Woods.

While gathering information on an active case being pursued by the Balance, AJ accidentally bumped into one Désiré Delacroix, who had been trying to establish themself at the Balance despite being a non-Tale. The two became acquainted, and AJ found himself falling in love. A few years and one confession later, the two of them were dating.

AJ wasn’t particularly close to the rest of the Delacroixs, but he did know a lot of things, such as their concern over what had happened to their father, concern over their youngest sibling’s status as a Tale, concern that she might end up involved in the politics of the Woods if they weren’t careful. AJ knew about the contract the elder siblings had made with Scyllus, but not the specific details. Other than that, he and Désiré lived life normally. AJ moved out of his mom’s apartment to rent his own apartment, giving a key to the Delacroixs as well. They went on dates. AJ took enough photos of Désiré to last them for an eternity. They talked about settling down and getting married.

And then Désiré suddenly disappeared.

Multiple trips to the Balance and to the Delacroix home came up empty, though they at least reassured him that Désiré hadn’t abandoned him on purpose, probably. The elder Delacroixs were nowhere to be seen, the youngest being the only one remaining. He feared the worst outcome from their contract.  A sleepless week later, a swan showed up at his apartment, squawking at him and following him around.

Putting two and two together, he didn’t really see much from Désiré for a while— it’s hard to communicate when you can’t speak the same language to each other. He offered the Delacroixs his apartment if they ever needed a place to stay, made attempts to keep tabs on them while he was out photographing for work.

A year and a half later, he finally had his boyfriend back. He’s very happy about that, and helped them get re-settled as a human while getting closer to the Phoenix Nest in general.

Boyfriend has turned into fiancé has turned into spouse. The two of them adopted three kids who had been on their own for years, and AJ is doing the best he can to be a good dad to them.