fadiingliight

[fadiingliight]

Stefan hadn't assumed anything out of the ordinary when his best friend asked to meet him for coffee. After dropping off his daughters at his Abuelo's house, Stefan made his way to the coffee shop and on seeing that Owen wasn't there yet, he ordered for the both of them knowing his usual order all too well. He placed their coffees on the table, taking a seat, just as the door opened. As he saw Owen walk in, he smiled and waved at him, his brows raising in surprise as the other informed him of his latest accomplishment. Pride soared through him, he had been aware of how much effort Owen had put into reaching this milestone. "This is amazing." he signed, while speaking the words out as well unable to contain his excitement. "I am so happy for you, when did this happen?" he asked him earnestly.

Stef | @fadiingliight

Stef was one of those people who had seen Owen through some of his best and worst times of his life. And in return, he had been there for Stef right through all of his as well. So when he got the news earlier that morning about the house, he knew that one of the first people he wanted to tell was his friend. It was another huge step in his life, a milestone he had been working for, the reason why he was always picking up so many extra hours and shifts at the ER- so he could purchase his first house. As he entered he coffee shop they had agreed to meet at, Owen grinned as he saw his friend, and gave him a wave sitting down in front of him. "I hope you're ready for the next few weeks of me begging you to help me move because I just closed on my first house this morning." Unable to stop the wide grin that was stretching across his face, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this was actually happening.

[fadiingliight]

Maceo was always pleased when Owen asked to hang out. He was after all, one of his favourite people to hang out with and Maceo felt a need to make up for all the lost time in the few months he had been away without much contact. A smile grew on his lips as the other opened the door, and he entered his living room, a laugh leaving his lips as he watched the other as he signed his greeting. "Yes, but I'll eat anything you make too and pretend to enjoy it in front of Luna." he signed, grinning at the other. Although he was quite aware there was a reason he was summoned, he didn't ask the other yet, waiting for him to bring it up himself. "Besides, who knows how many more dinners we are going to have here." he added, still feeling quite proud that the other had bought his new house.

Maceo | @fadiingliight

It seemed like when things happened in his life, it all happened at one time. And honestly, Owen was starting to feel the stress of it all. Though opening up wasn't exactly his strong suit, while he loved being there for his friends and family, it was hard for him to accept that type of support in return. But there was also times he knew he needed to reach out, to accept help and support from those who cared about him as well. Which is how he found himself asking his uncle to come over. The man was someone that Owen looked up to very much, admired him, and trusted him fully as well. So when he saw the light in his living room flash, Owen made his way over, and opened the front door giving his uncle a warm grin. "Thanks again for coming over, I really appreciate it. I even grabbed some food, got Chinese, figured it was much safer than me trying to make us something." Owen laughed as he motioned his uncle to come in, Lady making her appearance as well to greet Maceo.

[fadiingliight]

Ever since she had come to Denver and met Eli, Aileen had attempted her very best to turn over a new leaf. It was excruciatingly difficult, especially with Eli being stubborn and not giving into her demands immediately. She had no choice but to wait it out and since most people suggested she give him space to think and make a decision, she didn't bother him. But as she waited she fought with some of his friends, begged some others, did anything in the hopes of gaining Eli's attention -- if the jerks even bothered to pass on her messages to him, that is.

After what seemed like literal years Eli seemed to be ready to talk to her about Noah again and while the wait had only made her more and more annoyed with every passing day, she was grateful for it to finally have come to an end. When she was there at his place and she still saw no Noah, and with him talking about ground rules, she has to force herself not to roll her eyes before him, and make a scene. She could do that so easily if she wanted right now, but she decided to be sensible for once. "You aren't the worlds biggest idiot." she said teasingly, it felt weird to even pretend like she wasn't annoyed. The things she would do for her son, she thought to herself. "You wont regret this I promise." she added, genuinely feeling happy when he said that Noah deserved to meet her. "How do you want to do this?" she asked him, fighting the urge to correct him and say that it was their son, not just his.

who: aileen @fadiingliight where: eli's apartment

It had been a few weeks since Eli had last spoken to Aileen, weeks since she'd shown up at his apartment and demanded to see his son. With each day that had passed, Eli had found himself a little less angry and a bit more understanding. Noah had a right to know his mother and ultimately, Eli did not wish to stand in the way of that. Still, there was that part of him that worried that she'd abandon the boy all over again. The only difference was that, this time, Noah would be old enough to internalize it. He'd argued with himself and more days had passed, but finally, Eli had decided that the least he could do was give her a chance. So, he'd called and invited her over.

He still wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision; his stomach was in knots. "We need rules if we're gonna do this," he began without preamble. "I'm trusting you here even though I have no reason to. Maybe I'm the world's biggest idiot, but I don't know. I think my son deserves to know his mother."

[fadiingliight]

\ Hello! I have joined back and would love to reinstate and/or revamp plots with Stef, Aileen and Maceo! Please react for tumblr dms!!

[fadiingliight]

WELCOME TO DENVER, mila! you’ve been accepted as aileen darjeen (KIANA MADEIRA), stefan navarro (MICHAEL TREVINO), maceo robinson (JR RAMIREZ)! please have your account sent in within 24 hours; don’t forget your CHECKLIST!  

Keep reading

[fadiingliight]

After having moved to Denver, it was quite rare that Stefan met up with his friends back at New York. Some visited and he had sometimes met a couple of them when he went to visit New York but that was about it. Rest of all those he stayed in touch with was through social media and with time, the frequency of conversations had reduced. The last he had met most was at Mara's funeral, he had been a mess then, but he had moved forward since then, atleast in the eyes of others. And when Daphne was here and asked to meet, Stefan was glad to have an opportunity to change the imagine of him as a mess being the last she remembered. "Hey." Stefan said and smiled widely before reaching to hug the other. "It's so good to see you, Daph, come on in." He waited for her to step in before closing the door behind them, leading her into the living room and calling out for his kids to come to them. Without needing to be told twice, the two six year olds ran into the living room and greeted Daphne excitedly.

closed starter: stefan ( @fadiingliight ) location: stefan's home in denver

Daphne had been over the moon just to escape the four walls of her hotel room, but to spend that time with an old friend is that much sweeter. When she began looking for her half-brother, she expected to move halfway across the country and find herself completely alone. Seeing the familiar city on his social media had her jumping across the app to confirm why it rang so many bells, and now she's here, it only made sense to reach out to that little comfort of home. She's restless as she waits at his door, bouncing back and forth on her heels as she takes in the exterior of his home. She hasn't even crossed the threshold yet, but it certainly puts both her small apartment back in New York and her hotel room ( regardless of how many stars it has and which flattering adjectives they'd used to pad out the advertisement that lured her in ) to shame. She's happy to believe he and his family are living comfortably, at the very least, though she can't wait to see inside.

[fadiingliight]

Stefan could not believe it when she explained to him what she had walked into when she had come back. He simply nodded, feeling wildly emotional and unable to form words to respond to what she said, or explain what his life was at that point. His head spun to think about how much that would have hurt her, especially if she thought he had moved on and was happy by then. It was many times that Mara hung out at the fire station after she had taken all her very many unused vacation days paired with her maternity leave, spending time with Stefan and his friends when she complained of boredom after that. Friends who had known at the time that he was nothing more than a man who was scrambling to fix his broken heart. But then again, what would have happened if she did come see him? He didn't know because it was one thing to leave with her when they had been dating but a whole other thing if she had come back later. Because he knew he could never abandon his kids the way his parents had abandoned him.

It was quite sad to see her suggest that she could find another gym, to put even more distance between them when he already felt like there was miles between them even with them standing right next to each other. "It's alright, we won't even be here the same days most of the time." He sighed and turned to watch her walk away, a sad smile made it to his features at her parting words. "Likewise." he said before she made her way out and he took a seat to process the emotional roller coaster which had been the last hour.

END.

His question hit hard, and for a split second she found herself transported back in time, remembering how it felt to see him with someone else. But deep down she knew she didn’t have any right to be hurt, or sad. She had left, after all. And despite having no choice, there was so many ways she could have done it better. “I did. About a year after, just to— well my parents said you kept asking about me, so I came back to let you see that I was safe. I came to the fire station and I saw all of your friends, and you… and her, pregnant. You looked so happy, so I just did what I do best and I left again. It didn’t seem like it would be fair to interrupt what was going on in your life. And it wasn’t like I could stick around for long anyway. Even if I wanted too.” New York would likely never be home again, and that was a hard pill to swallow. But her safety was at great risk there.

His next set of words caused her to nod, if that’s what he wanted then that’s the way it would be. “I’m sure I could find another gym if you’d prefer.” There was so much that she wanted to say, but in that moment she just couldn’t. August could only hope that he knew that she had loved him, very much so. And no decision that she made was taken lightly. She looked at the door, but for the first time in a long time her feet didn’t seem so quick to move. Slowly she made her way towards it, stopping only to quickly glance back at him over her shoulder. “It was good to see you,” she told him. “Despite the circumstances I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

[fadiingliight]

It was getting a bit old, Eli's friends, and this time family, acting like she was the fucking Antichrist. She was there to have fun at the pride festival, not to get judged by snobs. Aileen simply rolled her eyes at Esme's reaction before feigning an innocent smile. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she said coolly.

pride starter for @fadiingliight (aileen)

Esme was having a good time at the pride festival, having spent the last bit of time listening to the live music and dancing with some others. She definitely needed a break to catch her breath though, moving out of the crowd in search of something to drink. Finding a place selling drinks, she buys one, having barely taken a sip when she sees someone she wished she hadn't also approaching. "Mm, nope. I'm not going to let you ruin my vibe." Esme had half of a mind to throw her drink onto Aileen, but her drink didn't deserve that.

[fadiingliight]

"Well, yup, you are correct. Congrats on not being stupid." she told him, sounding a little snippy. Now that her initial shock was gone, she was feeling a truckload of guilt. And anger. Because he wasn't supposed to be here making her feel this guilt. Out of sight, out of mind had been her not-so-elaborate plan and he was ruining it. "I always look good." she pointed out, folding her arms over her chest. "You aren't supposed to be here."

The shock on her face, or perhaps it was confusion Nate couldn't tell, was not a surprise to Nate. If she'd somehow been expecting him, they might have a bigger problem than they already did. "Yeah probably," Nate nodded, reaching up to tug on the single flower earring resting in his left ear, "Except that would indicate that you were potentially interested in seeing me here. I'm not stupid enough to believe that." He managed to keep his voice even despite the rolling pit of emotions in his stomach. It was a mosh pit of emotions that Nate didn't have the time or strength to identify right now. "You look good." He tried to play the statement off as a compliment, but he couldn't keep the bitter tone entirely out of his voice. To him, she looked too good. Too unbothered compared to how he had spent months feeling.

[fadiingliight]

Hello, I am on a hiatus this week! See you on the other side!

[fadiingliight]

His brows furrowed in confusion, because if her family didn't tell her and he was already aware that none of his mutual friends had been able to connect o her, it must mean -- "Did you come back?" he asked her, realization colouring his words. Did she come back and never come to see him? That thought was something he needed for her to deny because it made everything worse. Or did she come back years later and find out that he was engaged or married? When she told him that he deserved to be happy, Stefan didn't know how to tell her that his happiness had been short lived. His hand subconsciously went up to touch the ring which lay on the chain around his neck, but said nothing. A sad smile was on his lips as she explained why he wouldn't have wanted to go with her, he knew none of these reasons would have stopped him back then. "You don't know what I wanted." he mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders, nodding when she said that they should talk later. "Another time." She was right, their thoughts and feelings were far too chaotic right now and he didn't need this to get worse. "I'll have the other self-defense instructor get in touch with you, so you can join one of her batches instead." he said before stepping aside a little bit so that he was not in the way of her and the door any longer.

“No.” August stated, a lump quickly beginning to form in her throat. How did she even begin to explain how she knew ? She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she’d risked coming back to see him, only to see him with someone else. A pregnant someone else. “No, my parents never told me.” There was no further explanation— what would be the point now anyway. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I left. I’m glad you found someone. You deserved— you deserve to be happy.” His next statement took her by surprise. So much so that for a moment, she struggled to keep her emotions in check. Her shaky breath more than audible, she folded arms across her chest in attempt to hide the tremble of her hands. Had he really loved her that much that he would have followed her if she’d allowed it ? August had done well in forgetting for the most part. It was easy to do when you were focused on uncovering harsh truths about the world. But there had been moments, several throughout the years, where she’d been hit with waves of deep regret. August would be lying if she said she didn’t ever imagine how things could have turned out if she’d chosen a different path. “Don’t say that, please. You wouldn’t have wanted to. New York was just the tip of the iceberg, I haven’t been just August in a really long time. You’d have only been following a ghost.” Swallowing down, she shook her head, scrambling to find some composure. “I should go. Maybe we can talk about this another time, when the dust settles. I don’t want to say anything I might regret .” Like that she still cared. Because he didn’t need to know that. What good would it do ?

[fadiingliight]

Stefan was a loss for words as she spoke, realizing that she wasn't talking about now but before. "How did you.. did your parents tell you?" he asked her because he had been in touch with them as long as he could, till it felt like even they were tired of his unwanted presence. "It was--" He couldn't open his mouth and call it a mistake. It was true that he had gotten Mara pregnant within a few months after August had left but that had been one drunken night of the many he had spent hurting from missing her. But with what that night had led to, his kids, his wife -- he simply could not bring himself to call it a drunken mistake anymore. Not even to explain himself to August. "I didn't date her till after our kids were a few months old." was the best he could come up with. His mind was swirling with all the ghosts of his past, he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to steady himself. "I know, I know. I get it." he said in a low voice, perhaps he hadn't then, but he knew now way too well after he had lost Mara. And he knew if it hadn't been for his kids, things would have been different. He would have been different. They had been his anchor. With the responsibility of taking care of them, he simply didn't have the luxury to spiral. "I would have gone with you, anywhere." he said softly. "But you're right, it's already done. You are absolutely right. I am sorry I brought it up."

August shook her head, fearing now that her words had come out differently than she’d intended. Over the years she’d become good at hitting below the belt. When you battled against the bad guys, you had to learn how to hold your own. Maybe it was time to learn when it was okay to be vulnerable. Though it was proving to be difficult for her. “Who said I was complaining ? I’m not complaining and I certainly didn’t expect you to wait for me. I’m just saying, from what I hear you got someone pregnant real quick. I just assumed that meant you’d found happiness. So I don’t really see why it has to be like this.” The way he almost slipped up caused the whole room to still. August tried to ignore the way her heart was beating fast, telling herself it meant nothing. It had been so long, and she was telling herself that she couldn’t possibly still feel something for him after all this time. But it seemed her heart had other ideas. “I wasn’t thinking, Stefan ! That’s the post. Look, I’m not trying to make excuses, but I wasn’t myself. My sister died and when I found out what really happened to her… do you know what that does to a person ? I hurt you, I get it— trust me, I get it. But I can’t go back and change it now. It’s already done.”

[fadiingliight]

Stefan didn't know how he had expected her to react to him, but turning this whole thing around was not the way he thought she would go. Because it made absolutely no sense at all. He looked at her incredulously, and he would have laughed if her words didn't feel like a slap on his face. "You are kidding me, right?" he asked her, too baffled to even sound angry but the anger came rushing back soon enough. "Dios! You are complaining that I moved on? After you disappeared off the phase of the fucking earth? Yes -- it was years ago, what did you expect? For me to still be waiting?" Stefan shook his head, he couldn't wrap his head around her audacity to act like he had been in the wrong. "You had a choice, mi am--" He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was going to call her. He hated that his mind was still accustomed to the past. Calling her his amor was something that he had been far too used too, and it seemed old habits died hard. "What I am saying is, of course I understood why, but you had the choice to tell me something before you left for fricking ever!"

August told herself that his ice-cold tone did nothing to affect her. It did, somewhat, but she’d learned to play it tough. She’d had no choice, really, and in some way she also liked it. If the life she’d recklessly fallen into had done anything positive for her, it was that it made her stronger. If he wanted to play, she would play. Playing was what she did best. “What exactly are you expecting from me ? It’s been years, Stefan. From what I hear, your life moved on. Let’s not play the abandonment card here, okay ? I didn’t exactly have much choice, did I ? More fool me for thinking you might have understood that.” And it had hurt her too, despite appearances. She had loved him, very much so. If she though there was a way to stay, or to stay with him and have it be safe, she would have done it. But at the time there didn’t seem to be any other option. Running was the only way, even if he couldn’t see that right now.

[fadiingliight]

🙊💬 + any of our connections!

Maceo:

"I'm incredibly lucky that I get to call Maceo my uncle. He is great and the fact that we are a bit closer in age makes it even that much better. He is someone that I know will always have my back, whether he's around or not. That he is only a text message or FaceTime call away if I need him. And I am so, so glad that he is back in town. I've missed having him around."

Stef:

"You know those platonic soulmates? That's what Stef is to me. He's so much more than just my best friend, words wouldn't even do it justice to try and describe just what he means to me. We've seen each other through some of the worst and best moments of our lives. And I know that no matter what, I will always have his back, and he will have mine. And getting to be a part of his daughters lives as well is just an incredible feeling. Alright, I'm gonna say it, I love Stef and his kiddos. He is one of the most amazing people that I know and I truly hope that he finds so much happiness and joy and love in his life."

[fadiingliight]

🙊💬 + aileen for both!

"I think she is probably a pretty nice person. It's hard for me to say for sure because I only see her at the store, but she's always been kind to me. Not everybody in this town is like that, so I am happy to see her when she comes in. Sometimes she does make jokes that I don't know if they're actually jokes, but I try to laugh anyway to be nice. Hopefully, I'm not being mean by doing that."

Nate gains a thousand mile stare whenever he hears Aileen's name. "I don't know what to say," proceeds a sigh, "I can't say I don't love her because I do...did...I don't," another sigh, "I don't know. Ask me six months ago and I would have given her the world. She would have wanted for nothing as long as my heart still beat, and I was a joke to her. Not even worth a goodbye to my face. I want to hate her, but I know the only person that hurts is me because she clearly doesn't care. I ache for the day that I don't think about her anymore."

[fadiingliight]

"The feeling is mutual, I never saw how the hell someone like Eli could stand someone like you." she replied venomously, rolling her eyes as he continued to blab on. "Bye, asshole!" Aileen called after him before turning the other way and walking away, grumbling to herself as she went.

END.

"Actually, I won't. Because I don't like you. I never have. And to be honest, you're really not helping your case here. You can't show up and demand things and expect all of the people in Eli's life to help you. You realize we've been the ones by his side helping him raise Noah, right?" Zane asks incredulously. As much as he didn't want to let it happen, Aileen was really starting to get under his skin. "Yes, I'm Eli's friend and Noah's uncle. And you're still not listening to me, so I'm ending this conversation. Goodbye, Aileen." Zane replies, shaking his head as he turns away, walking off. Unbelievable.

[fadiingliight]

Aileen would normally have been ready to get defensive and pick a fight with Carly, but when she mentioned what Noah is like, her expression softened. "Sounds like he's a clever little kid." he mumbled in a low voice. "Well, I said we used to be friends." she pointed out, "I didn't think we are now. I know none of his friends are still my friends." She had a couple of people who supported her despite her mistakes but none of them were Eli's friends, not that she blamed them for it but it was pretty annoying nevertheless, when they acted patronizingly. "You're right, you don't need to do anything but can you please talk to Eli for me? He listens to you."

Carleigha sighed as she listened to the woman's words. It felt sincere and she truly hoped it was, for Noah's sake. She knew what it felt like to wonder if you were the reason your parent never stuck around and she never wanted that for Noah. Never wanted him to feel that needling insecurity. "I don't need to do anything Aileen. You get brownie points for coming back, some people don't even when they live in the same town. I'm not standing in the way of you being there for Noah and I truly doubt that Eli will either. He's a great father and he only wants the best for Noah. You just have to be willing to do the work it takes to win back that trust, not just Eli's but Noah's. He's young but he's old enough to ask questions and his favorite is 'why'" Her eyebrow raised to the woman. "Did you really just play the we we're friends card along with what I need to do? Pretty sure friends would ask a little 'how you been in all this time' before diving into their demands. I mean hat's off for having your priorities straight but execution needs a little work"