Title: Understanding

Author: Salamander Erg

Rating/Warning: G; no warnings, contains OC's though

Summary: North American version. Aidan tries to explain his friendship with Josh to three co-workers.

Notes: My conjecture for their friendship was made after watching only four episodes, so things might seem a bit off.

"Okay, so really, what's the deal with you and Josh?" Natasha asked, pointing at Aidan after setting her glass down on the table quite gracefully for someone with three shots in her. The nurse to her right, Miranda (or Madeline or Margaret—Aidan really couldn't remember), giggled and nodded enthusiastically, as if this was the conversation she had been waiting for the entire night.

"Yeah, what, what is, what is up?" Miranda struggled to get out, while still giggling inanely and leaning against her friend.

Aidan put on a confused smile and shook his head, "What do you mean?"

Natasha put her hands up in a placating gesture, "This is gonna sound really rude, but you guys don't really go together. I would never in a million years think you two were friends."

Aidan shrugged, not really knowing what to say. Actually, he knew exactly what to say, but he couldn't (nor did he want to), reveal the circumstances that brought he and Josh together. Natasha was waiting for an answer and Miranda, though she had looked so excited a few moments ago, was now not paying any attention at all and was waving at someone across the bar. Aidan opened his mouth to sprout some dorky thing about just being roommates, something he would feel guilty about later and do his best to make sure Josh never found out, when the guy they had sent over to the bartender thirty minutes ago came back.

"Dudes! Sorry I took so long, but I think I'm forgiven 'cause I was chatting up this incredibly hot chick."

He nodded toward a dimly lit corner (where no one could really see a hot chick of any kind), and set the bottles of beer down for everyone. Aidan gratefully took his, hoping the extra-long swig would give him time to think. Or maybe the new drinks would thoroughly distract anyone from thoughts of him and Josh.

"So, did you ask him yet, oh, wait! Plus, some cougar totally slipped me her number." Lawrence reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a wrinkled napkin with a bright red lipstick kiss on it.

"That's so gross, Lawrence," Rebecca made a face and set down the bottle she was going to drink out of. "And I'm not even going to comment on how you were chatting up 'some hot chick' and walked away with grandma's number in your pants."

"Oh," Miranda reached for the napkin and was trying to match her lips up with the imprint, but Natasha snatched it away from her and threw it on the ground. "Hey!"

Lawrence, who didn't seem that broken-hearted about losing the cougar's number, repeated his question "So, did you ask him yet?"

Natasha nodded, "But he hasn't answered."

"Dude," Lawrence looked at Aidan with what he probably considered to be his puppy-dog face, "You got to tell us. It's driving us all crazy."

Aidan sighed and set his beer down, "I really don't see how it's any of your business."

Lawrence raised his hands, "It's not like you two are gay! I mean, I don't know about Josh, but you aren't gay! So what is it?"

"Were you roommates in college?" Natasha offered, still interested, though without as much fervor as Lawrence. The alcohol was getting to her now; she seemed to be a solemn drunk and Aiden hoped it would affect her a bit faster so he could not answer any questions.

"Did you save his life and now you own him and he has to do whatever you say?" Lawrence jumped in.

"Is he a family friend?"

"Did you buy him on the internet?"

"Was he your tutor?"

"Is he a science experiment gone wrong?"

"Were you his tutor?"

"Is he…your sex slave?"

"Lawrence!" Natasha snapped, jerking Miranda from her nap on her shoulder, "None of your suggestions make any sense!"

"And they're kind of rude," Aidan pointed out with a casual tone, not sounding offended, but not sounding like it was okay. Natasha rolled her eyes in apology for Lawrence.

"Are you his sex slave?"

"Lawrence!"

"Okay, that one was a joke. Kinda." Lawrence wasn't quick enough to dodge Natasha's slap, nor the second one, "Okay, okay, surrender, surrender. No more inappropriate things."

As Lawrence and Natasha snarked at each other, some girl at the counter caught Aidan's eye, dark skin, dark hair, and a slinky animal print dress. She smiled, sultry and friendly all at the same time and Aidan wanted nothing more than to walk over there and bite down on that bright spot on her neck—

"Alright, you want to know about Josh?" Aidan snapped his attention to the table and away from the girl and the too easy invite he always managed to get, but never wanted.

Lawrence and Natasha immediately shut up and nodded their heads, paying him perfect attention. Miranda would have too, had she not passed out on the table five minutes prior.

"Josh is… We weren't roommates at school, and I didn't buy him off the internet, and though I'm pretty sure Josh is incredibly smarter than me, he wasn't my tutor. He is also not my sex slave, nor am I his." He gave a pointed look to Lawrence who was nodding solemnly.

"Josh is, my friend. And we live together and we have been mistaken for a couple and he can be incredibly weird, but—" Aidan grimaced and rubbed his hands over his face, "This is coming out all wrong."

The two other people at the table kept silent, waiting patiently for him to finish. Well, semi-patiently, Lawrence started to say something, but Natasha hushed him. Aidan smiled and tried to continue, tried to explain: I'm a recovering vampire and he's a neurotic werewolf and we have this symbiotic relationship and it's made us not quite friends, but more than friends and—

"You can't possibly understand," Aidan finished, smiling. He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and set a fifty on the table. "I'll see you guys later."

Natasha scoffed and rolled her eyes at Aidan's cop-out.

"I knew it." Lawrence said with a hushed voice.

"Knew what?"

"They're from another planet, sent here to observe and report back to their alien overlords so they can prepare their armada to invade Earth."

"You…idiot."

End