The First Date

Set after the events of episode 7210, this is my idea of what happened during Aaron and Nate's first date.

Aaron and Nate stood in front of their respective mirrors, checking over their appearances. In the bathroom of number 24, Aaron started to worry that with his smart shirt he was going slightly over the top for some drinks and a meal at The Waterhole. Although he and Nate had agreed to go on a date, Aaron wasn't sure how formal it was supposed to be.

Outside of the bathroom, Tyler knocked on the door hesitantly, "Hey, Az?" he began uncertainly, "Are you ok in there?"

Tyler was surprised when the door swung open to reveal Aaron dressed in a smart shirt and jeans, with his hair slicked back.

Aaron grimaced, "Sorry bro, did you need to get in?"

Tyler shook his head, "No, I was just a bit worried" he replied, "I mean, you were in there for about an hour, I thought you were ill or something"

Aaron shrugged, "Nah, I'm fine"

Tyler nodded, "I can see that" he replied with a small smile, "Are you going out somewhere?"

Aaron narrowed his eyes at him, "No, I'm dressing up for a night in front of the telly" he retorted sardonically

Tyler folded his arms, "No need to be sarcastic" he scolded playfully, "Where are you off to?"

"The Waterhole" was Aaron's offhanded response as he traipsed past Tyler into his bedroom.

"Let me guess, a date?" Tyler questioned

Aaron shrugged which made Tyler even more curious as he followed his brother into the room, "Who is he?"

"He's none of your business" Aaron replied as he searched for his wallet and keys

"Come on!" Tyler groaned, "After the week I've had, I need some cheering up"

"Oh, and stories of my love-life are gonna do that, are they?" Aaron remarked

He glanced over his shoulder to notice Tyler's crestfallen expression and sighed, "Actually, you're right" he began, "I know apologies aren't enough after everything that's happened, but I am so sorry for not noticing what was going on between you and dad sooner, and I promise I will do anything I can to support you" he paused and pulled a face, "Apart from spilling the beans about my date"

Tyler pouted, "Darn it" he joked, but then smiled sincerely, "But thanks bro"

Aaron shrugged, "Well Nate made me realise that I can't live in regret of the past, I need to be here for you now"

Tyler shrugged, "I guess he has a lot of experience with that kind of thing" he murmured, then looked confused, "Hang on, when were you talking to Nate?"

"This afternoon" Aaron replied innocently, "I offered to help him out at the nursery and we got chatting"

Tyler suddenly grinned in realisation, "Nate's the guy you're going on a date with, isn't he?"

Aaron smiled slightly, "Maybe he is, maybe he isn't" he teased

Tyler chuckled, "You know, I've got an 'I told you so' dance routine prepared for this occasion" he joked, "I've been waiting to do it for nearly three months, so thanks for taking your time to get your acts together" he added sarcastically

Aaron shook his head in exasperation, "It's just a meal at The Waterhole, nothing fancy" he sighed

"Well your outfit suggests otherwise" Tyler retorted

Aaron prodded Tyler playfully but looked regretful, "You know, I can stay in if you want some company tonight-"

Tyler scoffed, "And make you miss your date with 'the man of your dreams'?" he teased, quoting Aaron's words about Nate from a few weeks earlier, "As if"

Aaron shrugged, "I could reschedule"

Tyler shook his head, "You'll do no such thing" he replied determinedly as he practically pushed his brother out of his room and out of the front door, "Have a good night!" he cried as he shut the door on the other man.

xxx

Nate tried to distract himself as he waited for Aaron to arrive by talking to Sheila, but he was distracted by the butterflies in his stomach. However, he didn't notice Aaron at first as he entered The Waterhole and spotted Nate at the other end of the room. Aaron was suddenly uncomfortable about the choice of venue for their date, but shrugged it off as he approached.

"Hey" Aaron greeted as casually as he could despite his rapid heart rate

Nate smiled at him, "Hi" he greeted in return

Sheila looked between them in confusion, "What are you two dressed up for?" she questioned

Aaron and Nate shared an awkward look and Sheila grinned in realisation, "Oh, is this a date? Well it's about time!" she joked, "Now sit down, and I'll get you some drinks"

Both Nate and Aaron ordered a pint of beer before making their way over to a table, "You don't mind that we're having our date where you work, do you?" Aaron clarified

Nate shook his head as he sat down, "Not at all" he replied, "And we get a discount, which is definitely a plus"

Aaron chuckled, "Wow, a cheap date" he joked, "Looks like Karl's cheapskate ways are rubbing off on you"

Nate nodded, "Well I have been living with him for over a year now, so it was pretty inevitable"

Aaron smiled at him thoughtfully, "So you guys are close?"

"Me and Karl?" Nate clarified

Aaron nodded, "And Susan"

Nate considered this, "Well I was closer to Susan after I arrived, especially when she started counselling me" he explained, "It took Karl longer to warm to me, but we got there eventually. In fact, I'm probably closer to them than I am to my parents"

Aaron was surprised, "You know, you never really talk about your parents"

"Neither do you" Nate retorted

"Well you've met my dad" Aaron replied uncomfortably

Nate nodded, "Yeah, but not your mum" he pointed out before shrugging uncomfortably, "I guess my folks are a bit of a touchy subject"

"Yeah, I get that" Aaron murmured, then cleared his throat, "I guess that's a conversation for another time"

Nate smiled awkwardly, not really looking forward to opening up about his family. However, Aaron gazed at Nate, intrigued to find out more about his background.

xxx

Although Nate had been reluctant to talk about his family and was distracted by the food that they had been served, Aaron had managed to find out a few things about him during the meal.

"So, let's see if I've got this right" Aaron began as he set his cutlery down, "Your uncle Alex married Susan about ten years ago, but he died of cancer just after they got married?"

Nate nodded and Aaron continued, "Then Susan gained custody of your cousins Zeke, Rachel and Katya, and became their step-mum?"

Nate nodded again and Aaron thought to himself for a few moments, "So Susan is your step-aunt then?" he clarified

"Yep" Nate replied slowly

"Wow" Aaron breathed, then glanced at him, "No offense, but that's a really weird connection"

"I guess" Nate shrugged, "But I think of Susan and Karl as my aunt and uncle, rather than step-aunt and step-uncle"

"Yeah, that makes sense" Aaron agreed, "But you'd never met them before you arrived in Erinsborough?"

Nate shook his head, "Well Zeke kept me up-to-date on things like their address and their many divorces and remarriages" he explained, "So when I had to come to Erinsborough for the funeral of a guy I used to serve with, I remembered that Karl and Susan lived nearby and we met up after I arrived"

"And they offered you a place to live?" Aaron queried

Nate chuckled, "Originally it was only supposed to be for one night, and now thirteen months later I'm still here"

Aaron laughed, "Ah, so you're like Alan from 'Two and a Half Men'?" he joked, "Only supposed to stay with his brother Charlie for a couple of nights, but stayed there for over a decade, even after Charlie died"

Nate looked offended, "Well Karl is more like Alan than I am" he retorted, "You know, being cheap"

Aaron was impressed that Nate understood the reference, "Wow, I didn't think you'd ever seen the show before"

Nate raised an eyebrow, "Why not? You think soldiers don't have a sense of humour?"

Aaron shook his head innocently, "No, because I thought that Captain Killjoy doesn't have a sense of humour"

Nate pulled a face, "I have my moments"

Aaron smirked, "I'll believe it when I see it" he replied teasingly as he returned to his food. Nate studied him for a few more moments, smiling softly at the turn of events.

xxx

Because of how well they were getting along now, Nate felt even guiltier about the way in which he had treated Aaron the other week after he had confessed his true feelings to him. He wasn't sure how to bring up the subject, or whether it would spoil the atmosphere to remind Aaron of his reaction so he stayed silent about it.

Fortunately for him, Aaron offered him a segue, "So, how's the orchid?"

Nate almost choked on his mouthful of drink, thinking that Aaron was using a euphemism, and was confused. However, he quickly realised what Aaron was talking about and nodded, "Yeah, it's still there, still alive"

Aaron scoffed, "I'd hope so, they're supposed to live for years" he pointed out

Remembering Aaron giving him the flower and insisting on being his man-slave – which led to the awkward situation between them – Nate took the opportunity to steer the conversation in that direction.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so rude to you the other week when you told me how you really felt about me" he apologised

Aaron shrugged, "It's ok, and I should probably apologise for being an awful man-slave"

Nate shook his head, "Well I've never had a man-slave before, so I wouldn't know a good one from a bad one"

"Oh trust me, I was bad" Aaron replied, "Mixing up orders, making undrinkable cocktails and-"

"That doesn't mean you're a bad man-slave" Nate argued, "It just means you're a bad barman"

Aaron pulled a face, "Ha, ha" he retorted sarcastically

Nate shook his head, "Seriously though, if I'd have realised that you were being serious about your feelings, I wouldn't have rejected you, especially the way that I did"

"Don't worry about it. We're past that now, aren't we?" Aaron replied, then looked curious, "But what made you realise I was telling the truth?"

"Tyler told me" Nate admitted, "Seems like he was right about us all along"

"As much as we hate to admit it" Aaron agreed grimly before remembering their conversation from earlier, "He's got an 'I told you so' dance ready for when we tell him, which I am not looking forward to seeing"

"Why not?" Nate questioned, "Is he a bad dancer? Because that usually makes it funnier"

Aaron shook his head, "He's had nearly three months to work on it, who knows how long it's gonna go on for?"

Nate nodded, "True, but hopefully you'll be the one subjected to it instead of me"

"Well thanks for the support" Aaron retorted sardonically

In response, Nate smirked and lifted his glass triumphantly before taking a sip whilst Aaron glared at him jokingly.

xxx

There was an awkward silence between Nate and Aaron as they traipsed back to Ramsay Street. It wasn't normal for them to be silent considering that they'd spent the majority of the past three months teasing each other whenever they had the chance, but the situation was different this time. Now that their true feelings for each other were clearer, the atmosphere between them had changed, though they were both uncertain as to how to act around each other.

"So I, uh, I had a good time tonight" Aaron began nervously as they entered the street, which was unusual for a guy who was normally quite relaxed in most situations

"Me too" Nate agreed, "And thanks again for helping out at the nursery earlier. That's me thanking you this time, by the way, not Sonya and Toadie"

"Well it was my pleasure" Aaron replied, "And ditto on that last bit" he added, recalling their conversation at the nursery

"We should do this again sometime" Nate suggested uncertainly

Aaron nodded as he failed to hold back a smile, "Definitely"

Another silence overcame them as they simply stood and smiled at each other, neither of them knowing what to do next. Aaron fought the urge to lean in and kiss Nate because although that was usually how dates ended, he didn't want to cause any trouble if Nate wasn't ready for it. Unbeknownst to him, Nate was hoping and waiting for Aaron to make the first move, so he was slightly confused about why nothing was happening. After what felt like an eternity of standing in silence, Aaron glanced around and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Anyway, just let me know when you're free to go out again" Aaron suggested as casually as he could

Nate nodded slowly, "Yeah, will do"

"Cool" Aaron murmured, "See you"

"Yeah, see you" Nate replied as he watched Aaron walk towards his own home. Regretfully, Nate slowly turned around and crossed the road to number 28, inwardly kicking himself for ending the night so awkwardly. However, his mood was brightened by their agreement to a second date, so Nate began making plans for what he wanted to happen next time.

Thanks for reading! This was another random chapter, but it was a shame that we didn't see their first date considering that the lead-up to it was pretty cute. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for one-shots, then please let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!