A good disappearance (Steph and Aiden)

[lance warren wright]

Aiden had yet again disappeared from Steph's life though he had a good reason. He was still in town so she could come around whenever to see him yet he had kind of avoided her lately. Aiden had done amazing the past month in physical therapy and was now walking. He was so happy and had already started to work out. He had built back most of his muscle and was almost at the top of his game in strength. He needed to work on his speed and endurance and knew Steph could help him with that. He was wondering when she was going to stop by pissed off at him for going MIA (hahaha get it?) for so long. He had a feeling Stephanie wouldn't be mad at him though once he showed her the surprise he had for her. He could stand tall and hold her in his arms again. He was so happy the past few days he could barely contain it. He texted her earlier that morning to stop by his place cause he was done hiding. She hadn't responded but that was probably because she wanted to be mad at him in person.

Aiden finished cleaning up his room so his now small house was somewhat clean. Aiden had moved back in though he wasn't quite sure how he was going to pay for it. He would have to move into a dorm or something before he got thrown out of this place. The person he had rented it from gave him three months free because the landlord had found out he had just gotten back from the war. Aiden was grateful for it but knew he would have to drop out of PPU and go work full time so he could afford this place. He might have to ask Steph for some advice because he always loved confiding in her. He was pretty sure she liked being the one he went to with his problems because he trusted and valued her opinion that much. Aiden looked around his house really fast making sure it was clean before letting out a sigh of relief and letting his arms fall to his side and swinging them around.

Aiden walked to the front door and looked out the peep hole awaiting Steph's arrival. He was getting antsy and finally knew how to calm himself. He walked back over to his couch and took a seat turning on his TV. He flipped through channels really quickly and found a random soccer game. He had talked to his coach almost every day since he had gotten serious about getting out of his wheelchair. The coach was so anxious to have him back he would have his captain spot back but there was going to be a new kid grabbing the co-captain spot. Aiden was a little wary about the idea because he had liked the older co-captain from last year. Aiden kept his wheelchair by the door. He looked back over at it and smirked at his idea. He was going to answer the door in his wheelchair but would stand up out of it later when the time was right. He turned his eyes back to the random soccer game and leaned over on his knees now enticed by the game the smirk never fading from his lips.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Her phone had chimed earlier in the day and after she'd seen that it had been Aiden she turned the damn thing off. He had wanted her to come around, the first time he'd talked to her in over a month, because he'd been done hiding? What the hell had he been hiding for in the first place, she practically told the man she'd do anything to help him out, and yet he still thought it'd be better to keep her out of his life? It could have gone both ways though, she could have went to his house and kept intouch with him, but since he'd been the one leaving she figured he should be the one making the first moves for the next little while, or at least until she got over his stunt he'd pulled by going off to fight in the damn war. What the hell was that kid doing over there anyway? She could never imagine him holding a gun, the damn kid spent most of his time on the field so unless if he'd been kicking grenades at the opposing soldiers she didn't see him making it over there. Oh yeah, that's right, he hadn't made it over there. He'd gotten shot leaving him unable to walk. Oh that man just had a way of pissing her off, and she swore that she wouldn't show up at his house today. Nope, she wasn't going to jump when he called.

Okay so she was bluffing, she had held out long enough but after half the day she couldn't stand it any longer. She grabbed her phone turning it back on quickly to see if there had been anymore messages, but when she had seen that there hadn't been any she started to get curious. Okay so if it had been something important he would have left more messages right? She let out a groan, this man really confused her to no end. Still she grabbed her keys and made her way out the door locking it behind her. As she walked towards the bus stop since she'd been lame enough to not have a car she went to text him, but when she'd gotten the entire text punched out she quickly shut her phone not wanting him to know that he'd gotten her to go over with just that single text.

She had to wait a few minutes for the bus so she hummed a beat to herself, sure the others around probably thought she'd been insane, but it had been an easy way for her to pass the time. Sure enough the bus came quick and she hopped on waiting her turn until it came to her stop, Church Street, the infamous street for her best friend Aiden. She jumped off the bus and started down the road swinging her keys in her fingers as she found his apartment, and hopped up the steps stopping at the front door for a moment wondering if this had been the best idea. Eh, what the hell, she went and knocked on the door a few times to get his attention and let him know she'd been there, finally.

[lance warren wright]

Aiden had gotten lost in his soccer game as the time passed and still nothing to be heard from his front door. Aiden was now laying down and dozing off to sleep and just as his eyes shut he heard the knock at the front door. All of the sudden the sleepiness left his body and he felt adrenaline pump through his body. He jumped up off the couch and jogged over to the door, "Coming!" He shouted loud enough for Steph to hear. He quickly sat down in his wheelchair and rolled over to the door taking a bit longer than it would have if he hadn't been walking for a few days now. He finally reached the door and opened it up to see Steph. He smiled up at her though he knew she would probably hate to see his grinning face. He had disappeared for a good month and he had an explanation but from where he was sitting Steph wouldn't know his reason until he decided to let her in on the whole thing.

"Hey beautiful..." He said with a grin on his face as he looked up at the girl who had a firm look on her face. His smile didn't leave his lips though as he was terrible at hiding things though he knew she couldn't even guess as to why he was smiling. He hoped she wouldn't be too mad once she found out that he had kind of excluded her on his journey to recovery. He just wanted to show her he was still strong and he would work as hard as possible to get back in her life walking and all. He wondered if she would notice his muscles had definitely come back in his legs they weren't weak looking at all anymore. "Come on in." He said rolling back and letting her in. As she stepped in he shut the door behind her and turned around looking back up at her, "So how has your day been?" He asked still with the same grin he knew his attitude right now as pissing her off or aggravating her at the least.

[stephanie michelle davis]

The man opened the door and that goofy grin was on his face. He hadn't seen her in a good while and was grinning? "I should slap that grin right off your face." She said pushing past him as she stepped into his house looking around. The first thing she'd been looking for was any sign or trace of cigarettes, but she couldn't see any so either he'd quit or he'd hid the evidence. She could go completely insane and bend over to smell his shirt, grab ahold of his hand and examine his fingers for burns or stains, but she wasn't in the mood to get that far into this whole thing. Instead she turned to face him when she'd stepped closer towards his couch and started to tap her toe impatiently waiting for him to speak.

"How was my day? You've got to be kidding me. Where did your ass end up this past month?" She asked sternly looking at him. She did want to hit him but since he'd been in the chair that probably wasn't the best thing. She had a feeling something about slapping a cripple had been a bad omen. He wasn't cripple but she sure liked to think of him that way, the thought alone put a smirk on her face. "Well, you going to tell me or just sit there with that awful stupid grin?" She asked irritated as she looked down at him.

[lance warren wright]

Aiden couldn't contain his laughter anymore. He threw his head back and laughed even though he knew it probably pissed Steph off. "Well fine then I won't sit and tell you." He said crossing his arms over his chest looking over at her. "I guess....i'll just have to stand and tell you." He said the smirk growing as he stood up and walked over to her. He figured he could get serious with her for a moment so the grin finally left his lips, "Now Steph I know you said you wanted to be with me on my step to recovery but I felt I had to prove myself and show to you that I really do want to do everything to get back to normal. I haven't smoked in the past three weeks. It sucks, but I did it." He said pretty proud of himself for kicking the nicotine habit for the moment. He was going to restrain himself as much as possible and he was using the patches but it was safely hidden on his upper shoulder under his tshirt. He bent his knees a bit stretching them out. Even sitting in the chair for a few minutes made his legs stiff.

He wanted to run over to her and hug her but he would wait for her reaction first. He had known he would piss her off but he was hoping the fact that he was standing on his own and walking easily would make her feel a bit better. The small grin appeared back on his face not as large this time though because he was trying to be wary about the entire situation. He then reached up to his mouth and said quietly, "My grin isn't stupid is it?" He asked self consciously he was half joking but that was besides the point. He truly did care what Stephanie thought about him because she was his best friend at the moment. Though he was hoping she could become a bit more than that but that would have to come with time.

[stephanie michelle davis]

She could feel her hand balling up into a fist as he started to laugh. Here she was pissed that he had completely forgotten about her for the past month or so, and all he could do was sit there laughing at her? Did he not care that she'd been mad at him? His next few comments were confusing, could he really stand? She backed up a step, hand still in a fist as she looked at his legs. They seemed stronger then before when she'd seen them so weak and flimsy, but he couldn't have been walking could he have? Not a chance, but that is when he'd proved her wrong and stood from the chair to walk over to her. He had no supports or anything and walked as though he'd never been in the chair, but she could see the tensing of his knees when he'd started to stretch them out as he spoke to her. This had been too much to take in, her hand still in that fist smacked him on the chest since he hadn't been crippled anymore in her eyes (though he'd never been in the first place). "You ass!" She said, a grin spreading across her lips as she hollered at him. "You couldn't have told me you were getting better?" She hit him again in the chest, nothing hard but enough for him to feel it and get pushed back just slightly. "You are such an ass!" At this moment her grin was unbearable and instead of hitting him she jumped up into his arms pulling him down on the couch as he landed on her leg. She let out a laugh, this had been nice getting to move with him without the restraints of the chair. "I'm so proud of you," She whispered into his ear since he'd been half ontop of her.

When he'd asked how his grin had been she just laughed shaking her head still holding onto him on the couch not wanting to let him go since she'd been so excited at that moment. That was when she'd heard a whistle from the television and looked over releasing him so he could move and get up if he'd wanted to. She scooted her butt further up on the couch to check the game out. That reminded her that he had wanted to be back on the field soon, but that had been over a month ago. "So what does this mean for you?" She asked finally bringing herself to be serious in the conversation. "You playing again or what are you doing?" She asked curiously breaking eye contact to glance over at the TV. Soccer games captivated her, if she was going to listen to him the TV had to be shut off so she looked around for the remote and grabbed it shutting the TV off looking at him. "Well, going to keep me in suspense or what?"

[lance warren wright]

As the grin spread across her lips his seemed to grow. He laughed as she pushed at him he was so glad to see her smile. He staggered back wards as she pushed him and he just continued to laugh. As she pulled him down he braced himself so he wouldn't let all of his weight fall onto her. He grinned down at her as the two were now mere inches apart. There noses almost touching as she pulled him even closer to whisper in his ear. He felt his heart swell as she told him she was proud of him. That was the exact reaction he had wanted to get from her. Everything was going according to plan and he could already see that his life was going to be so much better. He would be able to have Steph around more which was always a plus in Aiden's book. And now soccer was an obtainable goal in his life again and he had already started working to get better.

He was slowly getting back into shape and his legs were much stronger though not quite to the way they used to be. He knew it was going to take time but he was going to shrink down that time as much as possible because he wanted to be back in top shape in record timing. He knew with Steph's help it could be possible. Aiden's eyes went to the tv with Steph as they observed the game together though she shut it off knowing they needed to share a conversation. He sat up and pulled Steph onto his lap as he wrapped his arms around her and looked up at her. He shut his eyes for a moment before nodding. "I've already started working getting the muscle back in my legs. I'm in shitty shape but better before. I was hoping you could help me out there." He said smiling up at her as he squeezed her waist a bit. He leaned back against the couch looking up at her with a smile a mile wide.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Steph settled in his lap when he'd pulled her on it crossing her legs as she stretched them out on the couch. "So can you feel my butt right now?" She asked curiously giving a slight giggle as she wiggled on his legs. It seemed like a good question though since the last time she'd spoken to him he said he couldn't feel anything below the waist, so of course now that he was walking she wanted to know if he could feel again. She had never had to go through this sort of situation with anyone before, she had no idea how it worked, so of course she was going to ask stupid questions like if he could feel her sitting there. Her arms lay flat against his as she twisted her upperhalf so she could rest her back against his chest letting her head nuzzle into his neck feeling the rough skin of his cheek since he'd had stubble. She found a comfortable spot and stopped moving all-together as she lay flat against him in quite the ackward twisted position, but even though she'd been twisted she still found this to be completely comfortable. Maybe it had something to do with the fact she hadn't gotten to cuddle with Aiden in a very long time. This had been overdue.

"They feel better than they looked." She said since she could feel the muscles tighten beneath her earlier when she'd been moving around so much on him. She was thankful she had a small frame or else sitting here on this mans legs probably wouldn't have been comfortable. "Last time I saw you they were like chicken legs." She teased poking a hand into his side to get a reaction out of him as she started to laugh. She had been so mad and upset when she first came here today, but after looking at all he'd accomplished all of her bad feelings had left the building. "How do you expect me to help?" She asked knowing she could run with him, but that wasn't going to build the muscle as fast as he'd needed it to. "The team needs you, trust me." She said shaking her head against his cheek thinking about some of the male players she'd had the unfortunate chance of meeting. "I swear each man on that damn team thinks they're better than the rest, and barely anyone works together." She shook her head again just thinking about the practices.

[lance warren wright]

Aiden laughed as she squirmed around in his lap, "Yea I can feel your bony ass." He said jokingly as he grinned down at her. His hands moved down her muscular legs in a knowing kind of way. He had definitely missed holding Steph like this. He couldn't help but let old memories come flooding back to his mind. He had never been quite sure how their relationship went. She considered him her best friend and vice versa but the two knew something else was going on between them. He knew Steph would never admit wanting something more from Aiden because that was just how she was. He would have to catch her in a moment the two shared but that could be a while from now he was never really sure. "Anymore genius questions?" He asked jokingly as he teased her. He kissed her forehead leaving his lips lingering for a moment before letting her nuzzle her head against his neck.

He relaxed a bit when she finally got comfortable, well it didn't look comfortable but she wasn't complaining. He stayed silent for a moment as he just took this moment in. The entire month that killed him staying away from Aiden almost killed him but it had definitely been worth it. He laughed softly at her comment about his legs. He knew they had been weak looking and they were looking pretty good at the moment. He could feel his muscles flex as she had moved around before and he knew she had noticed this too. "How do I expect you to help?" He said taken aback, "Well you are my trainer didn't you know?" He asked mouth gaping slightly as he then laughed when he looked at her. "I need my faithful best friend to keep me in line." He said softly as he moved his arms back up to wrap around her waist. He sighed as he closed his eyes listening about his team. He wasn't being cocky when he said he had been the backbone of his team last year it was just the truth. "Yeah I figured I also heard we got a new player who isn't exactly looking out for the team." He commented rolling his eyes slightly, "Should be fun trying to come back and get them to work together again." He said sarcastically though he knew he would enjoy he just liked to complain to Steph.

[stephanie michelle davis]

Her mouth gapped open as she looked at him with a gasping expression. "I so have junk in my trunk!" She said with a laugh, her butt hadn't been completely bony that she'd thought. If so she would fit into skinnier pants but with her firm thighs the damn skinny jeans were impossible to squeeze into. A blushed tone swept across her face as he asked that next question, the damn man had such a way of making her feel like such a bonehead. She shook her head letting him kiss her forehead with ease before she moved her head against his neck. "I guess i'll just have to keep the rest of my questions to myself." She said with a teasing smirk even though he couldn't see the look on her face from this position.

When he had started talking about her being his personal trainer she had to laugh. Back in the day he could do more than she could, she had to push herself extra hard just to keep up, and now she was supposed to take the lead pushing him to do his best? This might be hard but it shouldn't be impossible so she would help him in anyway she could. "You're going to wish you never said that. You'll have me over here every morning at five to start training." That was almost the truth since Steph found herself outside so early when there weren't many people around. She loved running around the long city streets when they were vacant and of course if he'd wanted her around she'd make the corners that would lead her to his home each morning. She wouldn't admit it but there had been those times that she would walk past his house that early in the morning just to see if she could catch a glimpse of him since his disappearance, but she had never seen anything so figured he'd just wanted nothing to do with her. She wasn't a stalker though in the least, she was just worried about her best friend. "I can try to help, don't know how much I can do for you though."

When he started to talk about the new player she sat up to look back at him with a curious look in her eyes. "New player?" She asked curiously confused as to who he could be talking about. "Kingsley?" She asked, that had been the only new person she had seen for a little while. She had hated that man too from the many times they had to hang with each other throughout the years. "Or is there someone else around I have to keep an eye out for?" She had ran into Kingsley only once since he had been back luckily, but knew with him so close around campus she was bound to see him again. Lucky her, the thought alone made her roll her eyes in disguist.

[lance warren wright]

Aiden laughed, "Oh yeah i'm so sorry you are definitely giving J-Lo a run for her money." He teased as he poked her in the side playfully. He smirked even if she couldn't see it, "You will definitely have to keep your questions to yourself. I wouldn't want to waste anymore of my time on them." He said chuckling softly as he messed with her. He loved to pick on Steph she never took offense to it and just rolled with the punches. She usually picked on him as well but that was just another quirky part of their friendship. Aiden shifted a bit to achieve the best position to hold her close to him while keeping the two of them comfortable. He wished they could just stay like that for a long time. He hoped they could get close enough again to where Steph stayed over at his place like she used to. He had loved those nights going to sleep seeing Steph and then being the first one he saw waking up the next morning.

His eyes widened slightly at the comment of getting up at five in the morning. "Oh god maybe I regret giving you this position." He said in mock terror. He needed to get used to getting up at five in the morning again for practices and everything once preseason went into full swing. "...maybe I should change the locks so you can't get in and i'll just put some earplugs in." He said smirking as he hoped Steph still had the key to his apartment that he had given her a long while ago. He had let her know she was welcome over anytime she wanted. He hoped she would still remember his offer as it was still in effect. "Well right now i'm running a mile every day and dying...it sucks...so you're probably gonna kick my ass till I can get back in shape." He said chuckling. He used to be able to run five miles easily and he hated that he could barely finish one now.

As she seemed to question the new player thing he furrowed his brow. He really wished no one new had come to the team. It was going to be a little more difficult since he had never played with the kid before and didn't know how he would alter the team chemistry. He had been hoping it would just be all the old guys so it wouldn't be hard to gain his leadership role back and get his team running well. "Yeah I think that was his name. You met him yet?" He asked curiously since she had probably seen him around the soccer field. Aiden hadn't had the chance to meet him yet and he really wasn't looking forward to it. He had a bad vibe about the guy but he was hoping it was just him being stupid.

[stephanie michelle davis]

"Hey, shut up!" She said smacking him in the leg softly just to hear the thwap that accompanied her hand against his pants. "You should be lucky i'm even here right now with me being so popular and all. Jeeze, I take time out of my day to come to your lame ass house and this is how you treat me? Thanks a lot kid." She said shaking her head as she sat back up again to look at him. She was having fun with him and thought nothing of his comments since the two would talk to each other like that. "You never waste time when it comes to me, right?" She asked giving him a slight grin as she moved turning herself around in his lap so she could look him straight in the eyes instead of having to keep twisting. It had been comfortable for a little while but she knew there had to be a better way. She just wasn't ready to sit beside him just yet, she needed this closeness the two were sharing.

"Change the locks?" She asked quirking a quick eyebrow confused as to why he would have to go through such lengths, and that is when she remembered she'd had the key from so long ago. It had been right on her keyring along with a few different locker keys and her dorm key. She didn't know she had the same key that could get into his house and couldn't help but wonder if he had remembered? Wait, of course he had since he'd just said something about changing the locks. "Only a mile? Damn, you are a weakling." She said shaking her head knowing she'd get him back up into shape in no time. That was the least of her worries. He was pretty good at moving quick too so she was sure in no time he could keep up with her all morning. If not he was going to have a bitching time during practice.

She nodded as she looked away from Aiden for a moment to think of the many times she had met Kingsley in the past. The two had seen each other each summer, talking and pissing one another off knowing at the end of the summer he'd go home and she'd never see him again, and yet the man was around pissing her off full-time. This couldn't be good and yet she was somewhat drawn to him just to prove she was as good, if not better than that man. "Let's just say we're not each others fans." She said with a simple shrug looking back up into his eyes. Her and him had said so many bad things to one another, a damn good conversation never came out of their meetings, but it wasn't something that Aiden needed to worry about.

[lance warren wright]

He smiled as she smacked his leg. As she moved around into a different position to get more comfortable he could finally look her in the eyes. He loved her eyes and had commented on them quite a few times. He couldn't hold himself back as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He was innocent about it for a second before deepening the kiss when she seemed open to it. He slowly broke the kiss to catch his breath as he leaned his forehead against hers, "Sorry i've been wanting to do that all night." He said grinning as he kissed the tip of her nose softly. "And I know i'm lucky to have you around I just don't say it all the time." He said smirking slightly, "I lo...like having you around." He quickly caught himself before shutting his eyes and shaking his head a bit. He had almost said he loved her. He had only said that to her once before and it was back when they had practically lived together. He had gotten caught up in the moment and realized how bad that could have been for him.

"Yeah genius change the locks..." He said laughing softly as he teased her yet again. "Gosh Steph you're so smart I must give you that much credit." He said smirking as he winked at her. Aiden then nodded, "Yeah I know it's these damn chicken legs." he said lifting her up as he lifted his legs. He settled back down surprised that he had enough strength to lift her since he had just started getting the muscles back in his legs. He let her shift around a bit to find a comfortable spot. He got a bit worried as she had known the guy. Aiden usually didn't get jealous all too easily but since he didn't know anything about Kingsley it scared him a bit. He could be an amazing guy and Steph could adore him but he was glad at her next words. So the two were definitely not friends. He sighed mentally as he felt the green monster inside of him slowly fade away as he held her. "Yeah there just isn't enough room for you to have another fan since you love me so much." He said smirking.

[stephanie michelle davis]

The last thing on Steph's mind was a kiss coming from him so when his lips pressed against hers the room went dark and Steph was lost in her own world. Trapped in darkness only for a second before she peaked an eye open to see his face so close to hers, and instead of pulling from him her lips seemed to press against his forcing that once soft kiss to be deeper and more meaningful. That eye that had peaked open slammed shut as she locked them together before he pulled from her catching his breathe, her having to retreat back a few inches in order to stop herself from pushing forward into another lip lock. "Don't be sorry," She whispered unable to get any higher in her pitch. She smiled when he'd said he'd liked having her around. She could hear that different word that was about to come out but was thankful he'd fixed it before saying it to her. She wasn't sure how she would react to that so of course it made her feel better knowing he'd kept it simple with the 'like'. "Well it's not like you have any other choice." She gave him a grin just looking deep into his eyes. This man had such beautiful eyes, she could get lost in them each time she looked at him.

Again thinking about Kingsley made her trail off into her own thoughts about the two in the past years. Her hands started to clench so she quickly grabbed ahold of his shirt to keep from getting too upset. Plus if she'd clenched onto his shirt he might think she'd just been being playful and not get the hint that there had been anger behind those motions. That man was just such an ass. "No, not a fan at all. I don't even think he knows i'm a girl." She said completely truthful. He had treated her just like one of the guys which was something she'd always wanted a man to do, but with him it just wasn't a friendly environment to be involved with. "He's so damn cocky, I swear you'll lose your mind after just one practice. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll be alright for you, oh and if I were you i'd take stock in excedrin. Can we stop talking about him please? Sort of killing the mood." The mood she'd been talking about was the cheerful one she'd been in since she'd found out he could walk.

[lance warren wright]

Aiden was happy about the reaction he had stirred out of Steph. The fact that she was enjoying this just as much as he was excited him. He had always had hope that the two would rekindle their flame but after today the hope reached an entirely new level. When she told him not to be sorry he couldn't help but grin, "Good cause truth be told I like kissing you." He said it in a cheesy way but added a childish grin after the statement to make it work. He reached up and caressed her cheek momentarily before planting one last soft kiss on her lips. Best friends eh? He knew the relationship between them was definitely a rare one and the two were too stubborn to talk about it half the time. Though it was usually one of the things that ruled both of their minds when they were together. Aiden tried to shake the thoughts away but they only came back stronger after he looked into her eyes. He laughed at the no choice comment, "Well this is true buttttt....I wouldn't have it any other way." He said grinning at her as he let his arms wrap around her waist loosely as she sat in his lap.

"Great well so much for having it easy trying to get my team back together." He said sighing as he shook his head. He really didn't need to have to put up with another 'hotshot'. It was funny that Aiden had said this though because he could be cocky as well but he had the credentials to back it up. He could say he was team captain of almost every team he was on after a year or two of playing for them. He could say he was named MVP after most tournaments they played in. So Aiden knew he could be a bit cocky at times mostly confident. Though he was a leader and knew what came with that. He could rise up to the responsibilities of being the team captain. He wasn't too sure about this new guy and his bad vibe about him was just proved correct by the statements provided from Steph. Aiden saw how much the guy got to her and furrowed his brow. If this guy ever bugged her he might have to have a little 'talk' with him. He slowly nodded his head, "Sure anything you want..." He said lending her a charming half smile as he looked into her eyes.