AN: Okay this is technically Friday's word, but I got a bit busy over the weekend. However once I saw this word I knew what I wanted to write, even if it did get a bit away from there at the end. Still, hope you enjoy.

Set sometime during season two, post-AudreyII but pre-Chris Brody.

Agemate: (n.) A person of about the same age as another.

Nathan was on the third step when a voice from behind made him pause. "Aw man, what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Duke," Nathan replied sarcastically, glancing back at the smuggler.

"Not really," Duke grumbled from the bottom of the stairs that ran up from the Gull. "So could you go be you some place that isn't here?"

Nathan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm just here to see Parker," he said.

"So am I. She texted me earlier and invited me up," Duke said, a bit smugly.

This time Nathan frowned. "She texted you too?"

Duke's smile immediately slipped. "Oh I'm not sure I like where this is going," he said and pulled a hand back through his hair. "I thought maybe she asked me up because she was finally going to give in to my charms." Nathan snorted, which Duke pointedly ignored. "Not sure what that has to do with you though."

Nathan shook his head and started up the stairs again, tired of listening to Duke's deluded rambling. Two steps up, the smuggler caught up and stayed on his heels all the way to Audrey's door. Nathan tapped his knuckles on the frame.

"Come in!" Audrey called from inside. Nathan and Duke exchanged quick, dubious looks, and then Nathan opened the door. The sight that met his eyes made him stop so abruptly that Duke collided with him from behind.

"Hey! Wha-?" Duke's confused statement trailed off as they took in the main room of Audrey's flat. It seemed like every surface had been decorated, covered in everything from glossy star cut-outs to balloons to crepe paper streamers. There was a large banner across the mantle that read "Happy Birthday" and two smaller signs beneath that said "Duke" and "Nathan" in a fancy bold script.

"Happy birthday!" chorused the dozen or so people gathered in the flat. And there in the middle, grinning like a Cheshire cat, was Audrey.

"Wow," Duke said, echoing the sentiments of Nathan's speechless brain exactly. "That was – unexpected."

"That was kind of the point," Audrey said. "C'mon, we've got beer and pizza and Rosemary made a cake." Before either man could protest, they were dragged into the party.

Nathan allowed the small circle of friendly people to basically pass him around and congratulate him. It was over an hour later before he was able to grab a beer and retreat out onto the balcony to catch his breath. The grating sound of the glass door opening and a brief whiff of lilies and lilac warned him of his visitor.

"Sorry, I know you don't really like crowds," Audrey said, leaning against the railing beside him. "I've just never had friends to throw a birthday party for, and I kind of went overboard. Especially when I found out my two best friends' birthdays are in the same week."

"It's nice," Nathan said. "The party, I mean. I just needed a break. Duke and Dave are getting a bit load." As if on cue, a round of raucous laughter erupted from inside and Audrey smiled indulgently. "I haven't had a birthday party since college," he mused with a wry grin. "How'd you even know when my birthday was?"

"I'm a detective," she said with a playful grin.

Nathan smirked. "Laverne told you."

"Yeah," she agreed without missing a beat.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know?" Nathan said.

"I wanted to," Audrey countered with a shrug. "You guys threw a party for me last year."

"You mean the one where you got body snatched by a shape-shifter?" Nathan asked sarcastically.

Audrey smiled. "Well it was nice up until that part," she said with a dismissive shrug. "I didn't realise you and Duke are so close in age. Six days."

"This isn't the first joint birthday party we've had," he said dryly. "It happened every year at school."

"And he's older," Audrey said in amusement.

"Only physically," Nathan said with a snort. "He never matured mentally."

Audrey laughed outright. "Says the man with a bow on his head," she teased.

Nathan scowled in confusion and swiped a hand over his hair, and a little blue decorative bow drifted down over the railing to the car park below. "How did–?" He trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind, I know. Duke."

"It was kind of cute," Audrey said, smirking.

"Funny," Nathan replied, although he couldn't stop the small quirk of his lips at her smile.

"Oh, wait here a second," Audrey said abruptly and she turned and slipped into the house. Nathan waited, twisting the neck of his half-empty beer bottle between his fingers, until she came back out carrying a small package wrapped in blue paper. "Found out where the bow came from," she said, gesturing to the box. "Anyway, this is for you."

"You got me a present?" he asked, setting the bottle on the railing and accepting the box. "What'd you get Duke?" he added cheekily.

Audrey grinned mischievously. "Made one of his parking tickets disappear," she admitted.

"How thoughtful of you," he joked. He traced his fingers over the metallic sapphire paper until she prodded him in the arm. Nodding, he slid his fingertips beneath the folded flap on the end and pried it open. He slowly peeled the paper away, revealing a cedar box inside. Curious, he flipped the catch and opened it. Inside were rows of oil pastels in a wide array of colours, each of them perfectly shaped and smelling fresh and new.

"I thought since you like colours, you might like these," she explained a bit timidly. "Mary helped me pick them out. She said the pastels blend together well, sort of like the decoupage you do."

"These are amazing," Nathan said, brushing his fingers over the pastels. When he lifted his fingertips they were striped in different shades of green. "Thank you."

Audrey smiled shyly at the gratitude, her cheeks pink. "You're welcome," she said. Standing up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and he felt the blossom of warmth and electricity that shot through his nerves at the touch. "Happy birthday," she said. "I hope it was decent."

Nathan smiled, touching his cheek lightly. "The best."