Josh still didn't get used to Aidan's new (Bishop-provided) loft, to be honest. While it's nice for a change that it's clean and spacious, the werewolf feels lost in it most of the time. Especially because he spends a great deal of time here… alone, apparently.

The Fangs are now even in magazines, if not the real famous ones yet, they have a website and time and time again, screaming girls running up to them to ask for autographs.

Josh has to give the manager credit for how he arranges everything around the vampires. They can't have their pictures taken, because you wouldn't see them, so Bishop hired an artist to draw graphic novel-like versions of the band as a cover. The same drawings are used for magazine articles and the home-story on Aidan. It looked really cool, with the fade-out. There were the photos of the apartment, but then it faded into comic style where Aidan would have been seated. You can say about him what you want – but Bishop gets really creative when it comes to these things.

Aidan insists that Josh comes over to the loft more often these days – to use the moment, as he says, but honestly? The werewolf secretly seeks the old. And while he tries to look forward to these things, tries to enjoy them, he feels lost in space (even though it's just this loft).

So now, he is sitting at the dinner table (a huge dinner table), eating the breakfast he's prepared, while Aidan is skimming through the latest lyrics Bishop wants to record. Josh honestly finds it nice that Aidan started to insist to sit with him, even though he doesn't eat. It feels a bit like family dinner. It's during these moments that he feels closer to Aidan again.

If only this lasted forever.

"Aidan?" he speaks up eventually.

"Hm?" the vampire hums, his eyes still fixed on the lyrics.

"I wanted to tell you something," Josh goes on.

"Okay, sure, go ahead," Aidan replies, putting the papers down.

"I got a new job," Josh admits.

"Oh? You finally decided to leave that hell?" Aidan asks. To be honest, he was irritated that Josh never thought about getting another job, though he definitely has high enough qualifications and skills to earn himself a better job. While the job at the restaurant, back when Josh came to Boston after the first turn, was seemingly a desperate measurement to get money, Aidan was confused that Josh never sought another. Even though Josh had well settled in Boston before he got to know him.

Perhaps a kind of self-punishment in a way. Josh is really good at that.

"Yeah," Josh smiles uncertainly.

"And where will you be working at from now on?" the vampire asks.

"The hospital, as an orderly," the other man informs him. Aidan looks at him, blinking a few times, "What?"

"To get some practice. I… I'll try out for med school again for the upcoming semester, if everything pans out," Josh says, averting his eyes.

"Really? That's amazing!" Aidan gapes, his eyes flashing with energy. The werewolf looks at him, biting his lower lip, "You think?"

"What? Yes, of course! I am so proud of you," Aidan assures him, flashing a broad smile.

"Thank you. I already feared you'd, ugh, I don't know… not like it," Josh puckers his lips, averting his eyes.

"Why would I?" the vampire blinks at him.

"Well, I wanted to tell you sooner, about the application already… I thought you'd be mad at me or something. I didn't keep it from you. It's just that you were so busy lately that I didn't wanna, like, bother you with it," Josh exhales.

"I wouldn't have been bothered, but I'm not mad at you either. I know I've been… aloof, lately," Aidan grimaces.

"Yeah," Josh mutters, his voice no more than a whisper.

"I'm really, really proud of you, Josh. You reach out for your dream again," Aidan muses. "You see? We'll both be living our dreams. Isn't that great?"

"Right, yeah," Josh nods.

Just that my dreams have changed. And from yours seem so estranged. No old ones, but new. And they are all about just one thing: You.

"This might be our time, Josh, you'll see."

Ours, is it really? Or just yours and mine?


Aidan and Josh are on the phone. The vampire is over at his loft after yet another concert night. The werewolf is in the locker rooms at the hospital, sitting on the bench in front of his locker, clutching his cellphone nervously.

It's been really tough for them to adjust to the new situation. They actually have to make more phone calls lately, or worse, leave texts. Because both hate that, but… well, if you don't see the other person otherwise, what else are you supposed to do, right?

"… Will you be there for the gig tonight?" Aidan asks.

"I've got shift," Josh replies.

"Can't you trade places with someone? We'll be performing this new song. And I wanted you to hear it," Aidan bargains.

Josh shows up less and less frequently, and that even before he started to work at the hospital. As though their music was suddenly no longer good enough for him.

And honestly? Aidan starts to get the feeling that the new job at the hospital and the long shifts are actually a convenient excuse, too.

"And I would love to, but I really have to work," Josh exhales, one hand clutching the fabric of his trousers tightly.

"I need you there. This is the first big concert we're gonna give," Aidan begs.

He wants his friend to support him on that one particular night – is that asked too much? He helped Josh out, too. He supported him, too.

Where are you when I need you? I can't seem to reach you. I can't get through. No matter what I do.

"You know that I gotta trade places already in four days – coz of the full moon. If I do it too often, people might grow suspicious, or stop trading with me… when I really need it. I have to be careful," Josh replies apologetically. "Especially in the beginning. I'm still new here."

"I didn't see you in over a week," Aidan then says. Josh bites his lower lip, "I know, it's been busy here. I'm sorry."

"Honestly? This is starting to piss me off," the vampire grunts.

"It just takes a bit more time. We just gotta… adjust. You are busy, I'm busy… we still have to find a middle way," Josh argues.

"Maybe I don't want to adjust, you know?" Aidan then says, making Josh frown, "What do you mean to say?"

"I got the feeling that you don't even wanna be around me anymore," Aidan goes on.

Whoa, he didn't mean to say that out loud. He really didn't. Aidan definitely didn't want to address that via phone.

"That couldn't be further from the truth, you hear me?" Josh insists.

"Then skip work," the raven argues.

"Aidan," Josh exhales, but the vampire interrupts him, "What? This is something very important to me. I also skipped a gig a few weeks back to help you out."

"I know, and I am still very, very thankful for it. Believe me, but… but those are different things," Josh argues. There is a difference between going to a concert and rushing to the hospital to drop someone off so he doesn't end up killing people – because the nurses insist on giving Josh the shit-jobs and wouldn't let him go no matter what he said or did.

"Maybe they aren't, though, or shouldn't be," the vampire goes on.

Again, where does that come from?

Or rather, how does it come out now?

"What do you mean?" Josh asks, his voice slightly shaking.

"You said yourself we have to try our best to make our curses normal. I'm trying to be normal, having my partner over at a gig and all that. I make space for that, but you don't seem to like it that I found a kind of normal," Aidan explains.

"I'm sorry if that is how you feel," Josh brings out.

"What?" the vampire grimaces.

"I wish you the most normal life in the world, Aidan. I always will. If I gave you any other impression, then I'm sorry," Josh replies. "But let me ask you this one thing: Do you really think this is normal?"

"Not that again," Aidan grunts. "Look, I just think that maybe vampire-normal is the best I can get. It's hard to live with that curse anyways."

"Yeah, I know that feeling very well," Josh huffs.

"Well, at some point I think you don't understand," Aidan argues. And really, he never meant to say that out loud. Never. "You are a werewolf – your curse is different from mine. So how would you ever really, really understand what it means to me? What fights I have to fight?"

Why do the words just keep tumbling out? Crashing to the ground?

"… Okay," is the only reply Josh rewards him with.

"Okay? Okay is all you say? I just accused you, Josh!" Aidan can't help but cry out.

"Do you want to fight or what's the matter?" Josh retorts. "Because I don't want to be angry with you or have you angry with me. I don't want us to yell at each other. I know that being a vampire demands a lot and that it is something I never experienced in such a way, but… but… no, it doesn't matter. You are probably right. Forget it," Josh says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't want our relationship to be like that," Aidan exhales.

He doesn't want it to be fight all the time.

He wants peace and love.

Is that asked too much, really?

"I don't want it either… Look, I'm sorry that I can't come," Josh apologizes. "Just believe me when I say that I normally would have come. But just like you, I'm trying to find my way back to a kind of normal. I simply need a bit more time to figure it out."

"Will I see you tomorrow at least?" Aidan asks.

"I hope, I don't know, I'll try," Josh grimaces.

"Yeah? Coz that's what I'm no longer sure about," Aidan mutters. Josh clutches the cloth in his hand even tighter.

Sometimes it feels like I am the only one trying here. Sometimes, I feel like you, my dear, already gave up long ago. And just never told me so.

"I'm sorry, Aidan. Have a great night nevertheless," Josh sighs.

"That's over now anyways," Aidan grunts dismissively.

"I'm sorry. Bye," Josh replies meekly.

"Bye," the vampire grunts before hanging up.

Josh stands up from the bench to put the cellphone back into the locker, glancing at the CD paper-cover he took out of the copies Bishop gave to them. He hung up in there to have a memorabilia of his partner.

He shuts the door with the thud to slam his fist against the metal.

Soothe me, oh sweetest pain. Hurt me, bitter disdain. Let me faint, leave me bleeding, let me go on pleading, it's all I know, all I can, be it just a wall I taint in blood and tears, in my own fears. That is my curse, that is my ban.