Title: There Goes The Neighborhood 1/1
Author: SyrupandHoneybuns
Pairing: Aidan/Josh.
Rating: M
Summary: Josh is acting weird, well, more weird than he usually is, and it causes problems no one would have foreseen.
Warnings: Clumsiness and strong language. You have been warned.
Author Note: My story does not follow the timeline of the show but facts will remain the same. For example, Sally will be able to touch solid objects soon, probably in chapter two, and Bishop will still be a creepy sexy motherfucker.
There it is again. The need to move, the constant itchy tingling feeling that seems to work its way down his spine to his legs. It is like his whole body is screaming for him to run.
But he doesn't. Instead he pulls the cover over his head and curls his body into the fetal position. He is too much of a coward to even run from his problems.
Aidan stands outside Josh's room with his forehead to the door, just listening. Josh's sobs are muffled sounding through the cheap wooden door. They almost sound like cats mewing for milk from their mother.
His nails scrape at the flakey white paint on the door as he tries to decide what to do.
"You should go in there and comfort him or he's goanna be all moody and bitchy until the full moon," Sally whispers in Aidan's ear as she materializes beside him.
Aidan chuckles and shakes his head no. "Josh isn't the type of person you can force comfort on. Whatever's going on he needs to realize he needs our help and come to us first."
"No, that's you," Sally says in a deadpan voice, then crossed her arms over chest. She is one second from stomping her foot and demanding Aidan go in there and fix their multi-dysfunctional family member.
Aidan purses his lips together and shrugs. Slowly he turns his head back to the door and stares at it like it is some unmovable barrier that is blocking him.
Josh uncovers his head and swings his body right side up and gasps. He can't believe what he is hearing from outside his door. Do they think he is deaf and can't hear what they are talking about?
"Go … in. . . . there. . . or . . . I . . .will!'' Sally overemphasizes each word angrily as she jabs Aidan in the chest, or tries to since her finger keeps sinking into his chest.
"I'm telling you this is a bad ide-" Aidan begins to say.
"Don't care," Sally says, cutting Aidan off.
Aidan gives a dramatic huff before grabbing the door handle and turning it. The sound of the door handle clicking makes Josh scramble out of his bed, kicking the covers that somehow manage to snake around his whole body to the side, and stumble to the door.
He manages to get halfway there before he trips on a discarded pair of jeans and face-plants straight to the floor.
A loud thump coming from inside the room makes Aidan all but rip the door off its hinges trying to get to Josh.
He rushes into the room and is greeted with the sight of Josh sprawled out on the floor on his back clutching his bloody nose in pain.
Aidan sways unsteadily by the door as the smell of fresh blood assaults his sense. Sally huffs in annoyance and simply walks through Aidan, who is blocking her view of Josh.
"Oh my freaking god you're bleeding!" Sally screams before disappearing into a puff of white smoke, rattling the pipes around them as she did so. Sally's hysterics make Aidan snap back to reality. He makes a move to kneel beside his best friend and begins to examine the damage. "Let me see, Josh."
"No, no, it hurts," Josh whines. He swats Aidan's hand away and ducks his face and the crook of his arm. Aidan is close enough to Josh to pry his hands away from his face and tip the other man's head.
"You did a nasty little number on your face but I don't think it's broken. Tell me if this hurts." Aidan applies light pressure to the sides of Josh's nose with his index fingers.
"Yessssss," Josh hisses as he shakes his face away from the other man's grasp. "Wait a second, should you even be in here while I'm bleeding? I don't want you to go all vamped out on me."
"Don't be ridiculous, your cycle doesn't start till tomorrow, and vamped out isn't even a real word." Aidan smirked.
"You know, comparing a woman's monthly gift and turning into a vicious killing machine every month is offensive," Josh says while Aidan helps him off the floor.
"But who has it worse?" Aidan taunts as he clasps his hand on Josh's shoulder and gives it a little squeeze.
"Women do, and for the record it's not a gift, you pricks!" Aidan peeks his head out the door and gives Sally an amused grin. She is sitting on the top of the stairs trying to hide behind the railing.
Josh makes sure he bumps into Aidan's shoulder as he walks out of the room to the bathroom. He isn't surprised that Aidan falls in step behind him and all but pushes him down so he sits on the toilet with his head still tipped back.
"Can you stop manhandling me? It's degrading." Josh, in his defense, isn't pouting, because grown men don't pout or let their best friend manhandle them. Even if said best friend is a vampire.
"Oh, quit bitching and sit still." Aidan wrings out the small hand towel over the sink and then turns and starts apply light pressure all over Josh's face. The blood has already begun clotting and it isn't dripping as much as before, but Josh is still gonna be walking around with a nasty bruise for about a week. Well, they could always come up with a badass cover story like he got mugged or love stuff like that caring for something that's hurt.
"I'm not a bitch so quit calling me that." Josh's pride as a man was starting to dwindle. He had to protect what little he had left now. Being compared to a woman every five seconds was so not cool when you were a dude.
"Let's see, you whine to get your way, you do all the cooking and cleaning, and you turn into a vicious monster every month," Aidan does a gesture in the air like he was tallying points, "you are so a girl."
"Don't forget, he looks fabulous in a dress, or should I say dragbulous." Sally snickers by the door. Josh rolls his eyes at Sally and decides to give her and Aidan the silent treatment, which is a very manly thing to do.
"Is it broken?" Sally asks Aidan.
"No. It's severely bruised but I don't think so," Aidan replies, completely serious.
"What kind of idiot falls face-first anyway? Your hands are supposed to break your fall, buddy." Aidan nods his head in agreement with Sally. Josh takes a sharp intake of breath and grabs the cloth from Aidan's hands, presses it to his nose himself and stands up dramatically.
"You know what I wouldn't of fucking fell if ya'll idiots didn't decide to storm into my room like… um… freaking cop busting a drug raid. Can't a guy have five minutes to himself in this house? Apparently, no, 'cause I live with Casper the Friendly Ghost and Dracula," Josh screams as he grips his head and tugs at his own hair.
He can't deal with this, not today just not today. Josh throws his hands up in frustration, stalks out of the bathroom to his room and slams the door as loud as he can, so the full effect of "leave me the fuck alone" rang loud and clear.
Both Aidan and Sally cringe at the sound of the door slamming shut and stare speechless at each other. "That's it, I'm going to Danny tonight, I can't handle being locked up here with the Big Bad Whine Wolf any longer." Sally disappears into a puff of white, leaving Aidan all alone in the bathroom.
He was about to walk out when Sally suddenly reappears in front of him, making Aidan take a step back in surprise. "Fix this," Sally emphasizes each word with one hand on her hip and the other hand's index finder in Aidan's face, "or you'll be taking cold showers for a month."
Aidan stares down at her like she's crazy, then suddenly poof, she was gone. "Why me?" Aidan groans in misery to no one.
Author Note: I wanted to keep the characters, well, um, in character if that makes any sense. I was trying to portray Sally, Aidan, and Josh how they are in the series. So look forward to Josh's OCDness coming out, and Aidan's blood lust affecting his personal life, and Sally's death will all be incorporated in my story.