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[aaronsolano]

It seemed Aaron was about as interested in talking to Max as Max was in talking to him. So why had Max come here? For Eileen’s benefit, obviously. If he could get some answers, maybe he could help his friend. Or maybe he just wanted to deck the guy, even if he’d have to let Aaron beat him up afterward. 

When Aaron offered the cigarette and lighter, Max snatched them, lighting the cigarette before handing the lighter back. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as Aaron pointed out that the guy looked much worse, like that was supposed to scare Max or something. It didn’t. He already knew Aaron could probably kick his ass, even if he was a little bigger than Aaron.

He snorted at Aaron’s attempt to make a dig at him. Yeah, he’d been called Eileen’s puppy before. He’d heard it plenty in high school, especially because Max was apparently a dog name. He didn’t care; if being a loyal friend made him an annoying, desperate lap dog, then so be it. Really, Aaron just sounded jealous. “Nope,” said Max, taking a drag of the cigarette. “She’s been busy, so I’m on my own tonight.” Did wallowing at home count as busy? Probably not, but better to let Aaron think Eileen was having a grand old time keeping herself busy without him. “Hey, how’s your dad doing?” Max asked in a way that indicated he didn’t give a shit about how Aaron’s dad was doing. But if Aaron was going to try to make digs at him and call him a dog, Max would make those digs right back.

Max should’ve kept his mouth shut. Aaron had no self control lately – not since his uncle’s passing, not since his father had gone to prison. Aaron already disliked Max, but hearing him make a jab at his father –

Aaron saw red.

Without much thought, Aaron flicked his cigarette onto the concrete, right before he grabbed a fistful of Max’s shirt. In one fluid moment, Aaron’s knuckles met the side of Max’s face rather harshly. He maintained a hold of Max’s shirt, looking him dead in the eye.

“Don’t fucking talk about my dad ever again.”

[aaronsolano]

[ end thread. ]

‘I deserve better.’

Aaron’s mind couldn’t register anything else that she’d said. That statement was painfully true, and it hurt, putting Aaron in the defensive. 

“Yeah, well it wasn’t so easy for me, either,” Aaron snapped, flicking his cigarette onto the ground, crushing it with the heel of his shoe. “You were a fucking headache half the time. So fuckin’ self obsessed and no better than the friends you hang around with.”

Aaron couldn’t stop himself now. He was hurt, so he had to hurt Eileen in return. She’d never be able to understand the storm of emotions inside of him, so why bother even letting her in? She lived in a different reality than he did. 

“You coulda walked away any fucking time, babe, but you stayed. No one fucking made you. Grow the fuck up, Eileen.”

Eileen wasn’t stupid. She knew Aaron was going through a hard time and had been for a while. First he lost his uncle and then his dad went to prison. He lost so much in such a short amount of time. At the time, all Eileen wanted to do was be there for him. She loved him. Would’ve done anything for him. His words now negated all of that. Spite and anger coated each syllable. Aaron wanted to push her away and it was working.

She didn’t want to cry, but that didn’t stop the tears threating her eyes. Eileen shook her head. “I’m not going to listen to this,” she said. She also wasn’t about to walk in that bar. Fuck her friends. This was a bad idea from the start. 

Eileen started walking, shoulder shoving Aaron’s as she passed. She stopped, needing to get one last thing clear. “I just wanted you to let me in. Guess it was too much to ask.” After that, she kept going. She needed to get as far away from Aaron as possible and there was only one place she wanted to be. 

Eileen pulled out her phone and called the one person who never let her down. Max.

“Hey,” she said, when he picked up the phone. “Can I come over?”

[aaronsolano]

“Maybe they should focus on fixing their own shit before they try getting involved in yours.”

Aaron was probably right about the sentiment but he was being an ass on purpose. He kept pushing her away, leaving her with nothing. It was like he got a kick out of watching her squirm. Eileen couldn’t even get a word in before Aaron spoke up again. Talking about her things taking up space at his apartment. 

She looked at him then, daggers in her eyes. He pushed the right button with that one. A nail in the coffin of their relationship, still without giving her a reason. “Fucking burn it for all I care,” Eileen said, flicking the cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out with the sole of her shoe. “And go fuck yourself while you’re at it.”

Eileen should’ve left, turned around, gone inside the bar to her friends and get roaring drunk but her feet were firmly planted like her body wanted to fight. “I deserve better than what you put me through,” she said, her mouth moving without her brain’s permission. Her heart was in control now. 

‘I deserve better.’

Aaron’s mind couldn’t register anything else that she’d said. That statement was painfully true, and it hurt, putting Aaron in the defensive. 

“Yeah, well it wasn’t so easy for me, either,” Aaron snapped, flicking his cigarette onto the ground, crushing it with the heel of his shoe. “You were a fucking headache half the time. So fuckin’ self obsessed and no better than the friends you hang around with.”

Aaron couldn’t stop himself now. He was hurt, so he had to hurt Eileen in return. She’d never be able to understand the storm of emotions inside of him, so why bother even letting her in? She lived in a different reality than he did. 

“You coulda walked away any fucking time, babe, but you stayed. No one fucking made you. Grow the fuck up, Eileen.”

[aaronsolano]

She smiled in thanks as she took the lighter from him, not wasting a moment before bringing the joint to her lips and lighting it. The fresh air could have been a just enough of a break , but she was happy to not have to go back in for her lighter. She was sure if she had her friends would have found a way to presude her to stay in and enjoy the fun with them and she wanted a little more than just a minute away.

Luckily Lucia had brought a few extra joints, not that she’d been opposed to sharing one she’d done it more than a few times, but from the looks of it he needed one of his own. He hadn’t seemed to be in the highest of spirits when she’d appraoched him though she couldn’t pinpoint his exact mood. “ Yeah, I actually have a few more joints than I probably need anyways.” She repiled, opening her purse once again searching for one of the joints. It wasn’t long before she’d found one and extended her hand, offering him the joint and returning the lighter. “So, you make a habit of smoking with strangers or tonight just an off night?” She asked, figuring it was a generic enough question that might also give some clues of the stranger. While he had been the one to offer a cigarette, a friendlier gesture, his demeanor didn’t place him as an inviting guy. Plus she’d noticed brusing lingering under his eye and that probably had a story of it’s own.

This girl was like a dispenser for joints. Aaron liked her already. He nodded in thanks before tucking the joint behind his ear while he finished off his cigarette. Aaron shrugged in response to the woman’s question. There was no real answer to it. Lately, Aaron had just been going with the flow, and that oftentimes meant smoking it up with strangers. 

“I just do what feels good, I guess,” he explained, exhaling away from the woman. “And right now, smoking feels good.” He paused, examined the woman briefly, as if he were deciding what type of person she was. “You in the habit of giving strangers weed? Or is tonight just an off night?” He pondered, brow raised, turning her own question on her. 

Once Aaron was done with his cigarette, he disposed of it, and immediately placed the joint between his lips. He lit it, praying to god that it wasn’t shitty weed – or laced with anything that’d leave him really fucked up.

[aaronsolano]

Milo looked up from his phone, giving Aaron a shake with his head. “No, I’m good,” He already smoked enough today, considering the fact that he could smell the smoke on him. His intention was at least to change before he went to see Matteo. The last thing he needed to somehow give him was secondhand smoke. “You know, those things could kill you,” Everyone knew at that point, “No point in fucking your lungs up.” 

“Yeah, they could,” Aaron agreed, right before he took another deliberate drag of the cigarette. So could a million other things. Aaron knew better than to trust anyone, especially a Navarro, but they were near Solano territory, and Aaron was rather fearless these days. “Don’t give a shit about my lungs. Here for a good time, not a long time, right?” He exhaled away from the man. “You should be on an anti-smoking ad.” 

[aaronsolano]

Aaron’s always been a fighter but it didn’t mean Eileen’s heart didn’t skip beats worrying about him in the ring. Especially when he said things like he put a guy in the hospital. Though, it wasn’t her job to worry about him anymore so she shrugged off his comment like it was nothing and took a drag off the cigarette. 

Eileen stifled a laugh at his remark about her friends. For the most part, Eileen’s friend group was fairly shallow; mostly people she partied with rather than have any meaningful conversation. Max was the exception, of course, but he wasn’t coming out that night so she’d be stuck hearing all the various ways she could win Aaron back all night. “Please, they’re obsessed with you,” she said. “Why do you think they dragged me here of all places?”

Eileen shrugged. “It was their bright idea we come here tonight. They can wait for me to finish a cigarette.”

Eileen’s friends had always been shallow. There was not much beyond the surface, and while Eileen spent majority of her time surrounded by those types of people, she’d been different. At least, for Aaron. They went beyond the superficial. And now, it was all gone – Aaron could only remember how it felt to be with Eileen. 

“Maybe they should focus on fixing their own shit before they try getting involved in yours,” he suggested. It wasn’t very likely. He knew how her friends could be, and it amazed Aaron how she could tolerate them so easily. For a moment, Aaron was quiet. Truthfully, he didn’t have much to say to Eileen. It was better that way – to keep things short. The more that he spoke to her, the more likely it became that he’d admit something that he couldn’t even admit to himself.

He missed her. And he missed his dad, and he was all torn up about it. But those emotions didn’t translate well for someone like Aaron Solano; they emerged as anger instead. Bloody knuckles and drunken blackouts – that’s how Aaron lived nowadays.

And even in that moment, thinking about everything, being near Eileen – Aaron couldn’t help himself. He had to shut things down – ruin the peace somehow.

“Some of your shit’s still at my place... and I need the space.” Obviously a lie, and a pretty shitty thing to say, considering she’d only left a few articles of clothing, and maybe a bottle of perfume that Aaron liked. “I can have Clara send it over. Or you can pick it up.”

[aaronsolano]

It wasn’t an unusual sight– a shady figure lurking around the club. Some of them were their soldiers on duty, patrolling the streets. Others were desperate enemies of Navarros and Rosses, hoping to find justice in the lions’ den also known as Il Salone. Lillian liked to say she’d seen it all, however the mafia world– her reality never ceased to amaze her. Equally surprised was she once she recognized her baby cousin in one of those faces. The lively eyes she cherished in her mind were now shadowed– no, Aaron didn’t resemble the little kid her mind had trouble letting go. Her gaze flickered down to the cigarette. Lillian was an occasional smoker but she wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to spend a moment or two with her younger cousin, so without a word, she pulled one from the pack, wrapping an arm around Aaron, giving him a side-hug. “I’d hate to see the other guy,” she remarked with a light smirk lifting the corner of her lips. The blonde didn’t judge, though. Misery loved company and the beauty of Solano family was the fact each member was fucked-up in their own special way.  “Didn’t know you’d back so soon.”

Aaron was relieved to see Lillian. Family. All of the Solanos had their own shit to deal with (it must’ve been hereditary), but at the end of the day, they were family, and Aaron could usually tolerate a family member better than a stranger. They were blood. Aaron wrapped an arm around Lillian, careful not to ash any of his cigarette near her hair. “Yeah, I fucked him up pretty bad. He sent me back to LA with a souvenir,” he said, gesturing towards his bruised eye with a stupid, signature Aaron smile. 

“Yeah... wish I was gone longer. I had some shit to deal with here. Work,” he explained with a pitiful shrug. “Plus, New York’s fucking cold this time of year.” And Amy was worried. Rightfully so. “What’ve you been up to? Besides keeping Adrian and Henry in line.”

[aaronsolano]

He definitely wasn’t, like, stalking the Solanos or anything. Max just thought maybe he’d head by their restaurant. He’d pretend he was going to post about it on Instagram or something if anything weird happened. Not that they needed the business and not like he’d actually say anything nice about the family of the guy who’d completely destroyed Eileen but.. it was a plausible explanation. 

What he hadn’t expected was to just straight up find Aaron there, with no problem. He was standing on the street, and now that Max was here, he thought maybe he should just leave. Eileen had told him everything; it wasn’t like there were answers Aaron would have that Max didn’t already have himself. Except the actual reason Aaron had dumped Eileen, which even Eileen didn’t have.

So fuck it, he approached Aaron, snorting at his words. “Well, it’s the least you can do,” he said, holding out his hand. It would be easier if he had something to do with his hands. “Let me guess. The other guy looks worse?” he asked, in reference to Aaron’s eye. Which reminded Max that, yeah, Aaron also wasn’t a huge guy, but he, at least, was a boxer. And Max was… Max.

Max and Eileen were a package deal. While Aaron was with his ex, he tried hard to be civil with Max. He tried to like the guy, who somehow felt like the human embodiment of a golden retriever; blonde hair and all. But he certainly wasn’t someone who Aaron would spend his free time with. After the break up, Aaron didn’t have to pretend to like him anymore. In fact, it was probably better if he was an asshole to all of Eileen’s friends. It made their separation easier. 

‘Well, it’s the least you can do.’

Aaron rolled his eyes. It’d be easy to pick a fight with Max. It all depended on how far Aaron was pushed. 

He handed Max a cigarette and lighter. 

“Much worse,” Aaron replied, exhaling away from the blonde. He eyed Max, giving little to not thought on whatever snarky remark was about to leave his mouth. Would it even be worth it? Did it matter? Not really.

“Is Eileen close? Wherever she goes, you’re usually not far behind.” A pause. “...kinda like an annoying, desperate lap dog.”

[aaronsolano]

Lucia knew that she probably shouldn’t be be in Solano territory with the tension between all rival families that lingered, but it had been an old friend’s bachlorette party and she couldn’t say no to someone she’d once been so close with. However she didn’t anticipate it being as hard as it was proving to be. As much as she did enjoy seeing the faces that were so familar in her past, it was also a painful reminder that they were indeed from her past. She had attempted to rekindle things after Brett had been killed and she’d been taken in by the Ross family, but things weren’t the same and they couldn’t be. She couldn’t allow them into her life the way they had been before, she had to protect them, and so she settled for text and occasional meet ups.

Getting a little overwhelmed she decided to excuse herself for a moment, to take a breather and maybe smoke one of the many joints her friends had supplied. Lucia made her way towards the figure smoking outside Il Salone figuring it was safer to stand in numbers than by herself. “ No thank, I brought something of my own.” She replied, pulling the joint from her purse noticing the lack of lighter, “ But I did seem to leave behind my lighter so if I could borrow yours that’d be perfect.” 

The brunette standing in front of him was his saving grace. He’d been craving weed, though he wasn’t sure it would do much to pacify his mood. He wasn’t familiar with the woman, but she was pretty, and she had weed – what else did Aaron need?

“No problem,” Aaron replied, handing her the lighter. “You feel like sharing? All I have is shitty tobacco,” he explained. He realized bumming weed off of a stranger was ... maybe a little odd, especially since there was so much of it in LA, but Aaron was rough all around. He was fresh off of a flight from New York; it didn’t matter where he got his weed from. 

[aaronsolano]

Eileen lit the cigarette and inhaled, watching him pace around, wishing he just stood still. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Aaron, trying to read him as if looking at him would answer all her questions. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Eileen shrugged and replied, “in between contracts.” 

Eileen wanted to say she was fucking pissed. Mad that he left her alone with a broken heart and nothing to work with. No closure, no catharsis. Fucking nothing at all. Yet, there she stood, yearning for him all the same. Wanting to know how was doing, wondering if he was okay. Hoping at some point he changed his mind…

“Get that bruise in New York?” she asked, biting her lip. “I take it the other guy’s worse off.”

‘In between contracts.’

Aaron almost wished for more, but he’d given himself some strict rules. No keeping up with Eileen, no matter how trashed he got. No 3 AM drunken phone calls. No stalking her on Instagram. Aaron didn’t pine. Their relationship was over, and they both needed to get over it. 

“Hospital,” Aaron replied. The fight had been pretty gruesome towards the end. Aaron was taking after his father, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He flicked the ash from his cigarette. If they’d been together, Aaron would’ve smirked, wrapped an arm around Eileen and told her all about how he kicked some dude’s ass in New York. And, if they’d been together, Aaron probably wouldn’t have gone that far in the fight, anyway.

“Aren’t your friends waiting?” Aaron wondered, taking a drag from the cigarette. “I’m just waitin’ for them to come bitch me out.”

[aaronsolano]

Eileen’s friends won the battle that night; despite her protests and pleas, the group would be spending the night at Il Salone. She told her friends she’d meet them there. Needed time to prepare. Alone. Talk herself down. He’s not gonna be there. What’re the odds? It’s a fuckin’ Monday, after all.

So, she went. Took a cab from her apartment most of the way, three shots of alcohol already pumping through her veins, but stopped the ride a few blocks short. Eileen wanted to walk a bit. Fresh air. It’d be good for her. 

Eileen felt a punch to her gut walking up to the club as Aaron stepped out. She hadn’t seen him since he dumped her in her doorway without any explanation. 

“Cigarette?” he offered. Eileen agreed, leaning against the brick.

“I’d say it’s nice to see ya, but…” she trailed off, eyeing the bruise, holding in every urge to reach out and touch him. “How’ve you been?”

It just had to fucking be Eileen. 

Aaron maintained eye contact with his ex-girlfriend as he pulled out a cigarette. It was hard not to notice that Eileen was dressed up. She always looked good, but it felt different now that they weren’t together. Aaron didn’t have the right to be jealous anymore, but there was nothing stopping that from happening anyway.

He bit back a stupid, bitter comment – something along the lines of calling her outfit trashy, or asking Eileen where her number one fan was (Max). 

Instead, he held it in. For now. Aaron handed her a cigarette, slapping his lighter down in the palm of her hand. He exhaled away from Eileen. It was difficult for Aaron to stand still. True to his form as a boxer, he began to pace around the sidewalk – pretty casually. 

“Fine. Just got back from New York.” 

All Aaron had to do was finish his cigarette, then he could leave. Only... he didn’t really want to. No, deep down, he wanted to stand there with Eileen and be miserable about what he’d lost, as if it were some sort of punishment. 

“You?”

[aaronsolano]

Aaron had spent the last few days in New York – a spur of the moment getaway disguised as work. Being in LA felt like a chore nowadays, so any excuse to leave the city was a valid one. Most bars were slow, which was appropriate for a Monday night, but certainly not appropriate for Aaron Solano’s mood. There was not enough weed in the world to alleviate a mild annoyance that now felt semi-permanent to him. 

He walked out of Il Salone to get some fresh air and, more importantly, smoke a cigarette. His left eye was slightly bruised, thanks to an underground fight in Brooklyn (he’d won). He heard footsteps approach, and while Aaron didn’t particularly feel like talking, he still opened his mouth.

“Cigarette?” He offered. 

[aaronsolano]

        A A R O N  S O L A N O   -

age: twenty-three years old occupation: distributor affiliation: solano faceclaim: tom holland availability: open

Aaron Solano grew up aspiring to be just like his father: tough, strong and resilient to hardship. What seemed to come easily to his dad, never was quite so simply for the son. He was a small framed boy with a quick wit, but physical strength wasn’t an attribute he was born with. Growing up with such an age gap between the cousins, Aaron always saw them as mentors more than friends. As intimidating as Adrian and Henry were, they were eager to teach a young Aaron how to fight and handle himself. He was small and fast, which he could use to his advantage if he honed his skills properly.

In eighth grade, Aaron took up boxing as an after-school activity, encouraged by his father. The man often fought for sport and cash in back alleys late at night: a secret between father and son; the only secret he’s ever kept from his twin sister, Amelia. “It’s just between us boys,” his dad said. How could Aaron disobey? He put everything into boxing, working long hours after he left the gym at home, homework falling by the wayside. Aaron was desperate to please his father terrified of failure and disappointment.

School came easily to Aaron, never really having to put much effort into academics. His grades weren’t perfect, but he slid by with straight-B’s and an admission to UCLA. He spent the majority of his time partying, studying a bit pointless given his total lack of drive for his program. Aaron just wanted to get to work. Uncle Luis loved insisting family get degrees before jobs. Seemed like a waste of time, but Aaron would comply if it meant getting what he wanted in the end.

Working in distribution provided Aaron with many connections, all of whom ended up putting cash in his pocket. His natural charisma made it easy to convince independent dealers to join the Solano cause, which pleased his father and uncle immensely. He did good work and partied even harder.

It was at one of these parties that Aaron met Eileen Dwyer, an actress who was a frequent customer of a dealer he knew. The spark between them was instant and Aaron knew he couldn’t let her get away. With love in his life and his father’s approval, everything seemed to fall into place. He had everything he could ever want; it was too good to be true.

First, his Uncle Luis fell ill and deteriorated quite quickly. His death was sudden and difficult for the entire family to deal with, but Aaron watched as his own father fell to ruin. He picked up street fighting again, but this time he wouldn’t stop when his opponents hit the ground. Two counts of murder, even Eli couldn’t convince a judge to lessen his sentence or offer parole. Aaron’s idol, jailed for life.

He quickly threw everything he ever cared for aside, truly unable to function without the drive of his father keeping him going. He started fighting, himself. Caged matches for entertainment; he got paid if he won and walked out with nothing if he lost, but Aaron really didn’t care. He went to Amelia to patch his wounds, breaking up with Eileen unable to show her the truth. There was an empty void in Aaron’s chest that he was desperate to fill; how he’d do it, Aaron didn’t know.

       C O N N E C T I O N S   -

amelia solano: twin sister adrian, lillian and henry solano: cousins eileen dwyer: ex-girlfriend

[aaronsolano]

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