Title:Now That's the power of Pine-Sol, baby.
Author: SyrupandHoneybuns
Pairing: Aidan/Josh
Rating: M
Summary: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Warnings: Clumsiness and strong language. You have been warned.


There is pep in Aidan's step as he struts down the stairs, car keys jingling in his hand as he does so. He is whistling a cheerful tune in his head and has a grin from ear to ear, or as Josh likes to call it, his "I'm getting some" smirk. He is halfway across the living room heading to the front door when something in the corner of eye makes him take a double take or ten.

After living more than two hundred years, few things shock Aidan anymore, so when something does he has a hard time letting go, so seeing his best friend on all fours with a white apron tied around his waist scrubbing their kitchen floor is more than enough to send him doubling over in laughter. It is the most ridiculous thing ever, seeing Josh with his booty titled toward the heaven as his scrubs some invisible stain over by the oven.

Smirking, Aidan stalks over to the kitchen, stopping a few feet away so Josh won't notice him. He stands there impassively watching his friend in silence for a few minutes. He notes the fluidity in Josh's movement as the other man scrubs, completely ignoring everything else around him except the task at hand.

"You should let me make an honest woman out of you," Aidan jokes from the entryway of the kitchen. He has his arms crossed in front of him with his head leaning on the wooden door frame. Josh barely spares a glance over his shoulder as he lifts a rubber glove-covered finger and flips the other man the bird. Aidan flings his head back and lets out a long hearty laugh that seems to echo off every visible surface in the apartment.

Josh chooses to ignore the other man, knowing full well Aidan is trying to bait him into argument for amusement. Ever since Sally blew up the TV Aidan has been hovering around him more at home for entertainment.

"Cleanliness is next to godliness." Josh hums to no one particularly as he guides the yellow sponge over the dingy white tiles. The sensation of knowing that he is killing thousand of germs as he does so brings a goofy-looking grin to his face.

"So why are you cleaning?" Aidan asks. The only really dirty room in the house was his but that is simply because he refuses to clean it. He had warned Josh about three things before they made the decision to move in together. He doesn't cook, his credit's crap, and most importantly he doesn't clean.

"Well, some idiot decides to invite the whole neighborhood into our apartment last night without telling me. And since I couldn't clean up beforehand, I'm doing it now," Josh growls. Grabbing the chair by the oven, he hoists himself up and throws the dirty sponge in the bucket. He dries his hands on the apron around his waist and picks up a cleaning bottle off the table and sprays the counters.

Aidan sighs. He knows if he had consulted with Josh about setting up a neighborhood watch the wolf would have flown off the handle. Even though Josh never voices it, Aidan knows that Josh thinks of their neighbors as an angry mob of villagers brandishing pitchforks and torches and just waiting for them to slip up so they could run them out of town.

"Lose the attitude, okay? Even if you don't want to admit it I know you had fun last night, too. You even made a new friend," Aidan says.

Josh stops wiping the counter and looks over his shoulder dumbfounded at Aidan like he can't comprehend what the vampire was saying to him. "Aidan, what are you babbling about? What friend?"

"The short guy in the blue jacket." Aidan brings his hand halfway up his chest, making a vague height gesture with his hands, which Josh doesn't think is really fair because Jesse wasn't that short.

"He's not my friend," Josh grumbles, looking away from Aidan so he can't see him blush.

Aidan raises his right eyebrow up and looks at his friend in annoyance. "Well, that's a mean thing to say after you spent practically the whole night talking to him, and I even saw you exchange numbers with the guy."

Josh feels like running a hand down his face in frustration. He had hoped Aidan would drop the conversation and leave already but evidently that was too much to hope for. "He wasn't interested in becoming my friend, okay? He wanted to know if me and you were in a steady relationship or not."

(Flashback)

"Hey, so what's the deal with you and him?" Jesse asks as he nudges Josh in the side, drawing his attention away from Sally, who is sitting across the room on the couch with her back turned away from everyone.

"Ummmmm… What guy?" Josh didn't really consider himself to be a tall man, but he was practically the Jolly Green Giant compared to this dude.

Jesse takes a sip of his beer then swings the can in Aidan's general direction. "Tall, dark and handsome over there."

Josh stands rigid, his hands curling into fists, as he watches Aidan eagerly lower his head so a pretty blonde woman who was probably originally a brunette could whisper something seductive into his ear. Josh focuses his angry glare at Aidan and he sneers when Aidan catches his gaze. Aidan leans back from Kathy and mouths, "What?" at Josh.

Josh can't believe what he is seeing. Not only does Aidan have the gall to invite the whole fucking neighborhood into their apartment, he is even trying to get a booty call out of the ordeal too. "This is why you should keep your man on a short leash. Doesn't matter if they're gay or straight, they will flirt with anyone who shows them some interest and skin," Jesse says, shaking his head and chugging the last of his beer.

Josh's eyes widen comically." No, it's not like that… Me and Aidan aren't… I'm not jealo-"

"Hey, it's all right, I didn't mean to sound like I was dogging your relationship or anything. But if you get tired of his two-timing ways, call me and I'll set you up with a good man," Jesse says as he reaches into the back pocket of Josh's jeans and pulls out his cell phone, which Josh doesn't think is cool at all because the man's hand rests on his ass a tad too long, and who goes searching through other people's pockets like that anyways?

Jesse types his information into Josh's contact list, then hands the man back his phone. "It was good meeting you, but I got to skedaddle." Jesse smiles at Josh, then turns and begins walking toward the door. When he is at it, he glances over his shoulder at Josh and held
the rock devil sign but turn it sideways so it resemble at phone pressed up against his ear. "Seriously, though, call me," Jesse says, walking out the door and leaving a flabbergasted Josh behind.

(End of flashback)

Josh tries not to read too much into the awkward silence that descends on the kitchen. Instead he picks up his rag and spray bottle and starts wiping off the refrigerator. He can hear Aidan fidget in the background and against his better judgment he decides to cut the man a break. "Don't you have a hot date with that redhead from Pediatrics in an hour or so?"

Aidan lets out a sigh of relief and glances down at the watch around his wrist. Josh was right, the date he had been bragging about for more than a week was waiting for him at that fancy and crazy expensive French restaurant across town. If he left now, he could still make it in time to be fashionable late.

"She isn't ginger, she's strawberry blonde," Aidan says while walking to the door. Josh rolls his eyes as the door clicks shut. He throws his rag into the sink and walks out of the kitchen to the front door and locks it.

"You know, Jesse's right, you need to learn to put that shit on lockdown," Sally says as she materializes on the bottom step of the stairwell, grinning from ear to ear. Josh can hear the sound of paws thumping against the hardwood as James comes flying down the stairs to Sally, who hoists the puppy into her lap. James places both paws on her knees and does the puppy equivalent of gasping for breath.

"And you need to learn to stop leaving James behind every time you decide to zap into the next room before you give him a heart attack," Josh counters.


Author notes\spoiler alert : The next two chapters are going to be the reason why this story is rated M. I wanted to write three funny short one shots, two hot and steamy ones, then wrap in up with probable a cliche ending where Josh parent meet Aidan and automatically assume there in a relationship.