Quill

Set between episodes 7319 and 7324, this is my idea of what happened between Aaron and Tom.

Aaron was slightly concerned about how easy it was to access Tom's contact details by simply typing his name into a search engine. But it was definitely a bonus for Aaron who didn't want to waste time using underhand techniques to find information about Tom Quill. Aaron checked his mobile for what must have been the thirtieth time in the last hour or so, finding out whether Nate had tried to contact him after that heartfelt voice message Aaron had left on the landline earlier. Infuriatingly, Nate hadn't responded and Aaron had finally lost his patience. He didn't know what was going on with his boyfriend or why he hadn't got in touch with him, and he wasn't even sure if he really wanted to know the answer. All Aaron knew was that there was a tall, dark, handsome and wealthy young man showing more interest in him than his own boyfriend had shown in months, and that was enough for Aaron to decide that the relationship was effectively over. Aaron wasn't sure whether or not he should contact Nate and tell him that their relationship was finished. After all, would Nate even receive the message considering that he hadn't seemed to receive any of Aaron's previous messages? And besides, Nate hadn't bothered contacting him in the seven weeks that he had been away, so why should Aaron bother contacting him? Aaron didn't want to be petty but he was angry and hurt by the lack of contact, so he wanted Nate to feel the same way. With that reasoning, Aaron picked up his mobile phone and dialled the number that the website provided for Tom Quill. The phone rang for a while and Aaron suddenly realised that Tom might be busy with a client.

However, just as Aaron was about to hang up, he recognised Tom's voice, "G'day, this is Tom Quill from the Quill Group" he began, "How can I help you?"

Aaron gulped at the formality of Tom's greeting, "Uh, hey, this is Aaron Brennan" he began nervously, "I was hoping to talk to you, but I don't want to interrupt you if you're in the middle of something"

Immediately, the volume of Tom's voice lowered, "Actually, I'm in a meeting right now" he replied regretfully, "But I can contact you or the Mayor later on if you'd like"

"Actually, this isn't business-related so don't worry about it" Aaron responded quickly, "Sorry for disturbing you"

"No, it's fine" Tom assured him, "I'm available this afternoon if you'd like to meet in person so that we can talk"

"Really?" Aaron questioned

"Of course" Tom replied, "Is there a particular time and place that would suit you?"

Suddenly Aaron found Tom's formality quite amusing, "How about four o'clock at my house, 24 Ramsay Street?"

"Yeah, I can do that" Tom replied, "I'll see you then"

"Yep, see you" Aaron breathed before hanging up and laughing at the way that the conversation had taken place.

xxx

Aaron tapped his fingers on the kitchen counter impatiently as it got closer to four o'clock. He almost jumped out of his seat when there was knock on the door at exactly four o'clock and was impressed (though not surprised) by Tom's time-keeping skills. Aaron opened the door to the taller man, who grinned and practically swaggered into the house.

"Hey" he greeted casually as he entered and glanced around the room

"Hey, thanks for coming" Aaron greeted nervously, "I know you're a busy guy so I appreciate you making time to see me"

"I can always make time for you" Tom shrugged, which made Aaron blush slightly in surprise by how forward Tom seemed, "So what did you want to talk about that had nothing to do with business?"

"I was thinking about the last time we spoke" Aaron began hesitantly, "You know, when you bought me the shoes and tried to ask me on a date"

"And when you turned me down because you're in a relationship?" Tom added

"Yeah" Aaron replied quietly, then cleared his throat, "Well some things have changed and I was wondering if you were still interested in going on that date sometime"

"Oh" Tom breathed in surprise, then nodded happily, "Yeah, I am"

Aaron smiled, but before they had a chance to make any arrangements, Tyler suddenly emerged from the bathroom after just having a shower following a strenuous day at the garage. Tom's eyes narrowed at Tyler as he hurried into the utility room to fetch some clean clothes, which confused Aaron. However, as Tyler returned and brushed past his brother, the younger man's towel dropped to the floor and Tom's eyes widened in shock and realisation.

"Hey, that's where I know you from!" he exclaimed as Tyler quickly wrapped the towel around himself again.

Aaron looked baffled, "You know him from that?!" he questioned in disbelief

Tom nodded and glanced between them in bewilderment, "Wait, are you guys related?"

Aaron nodded slowly, "Yeah, Tyler's my little brother"

"'Little' isn't quite the word I'd use" Tom muttered before scanning Tyler inquisitively, "Do you make a habit of exposing yourself in public?"

"No, you just happen to be in the right place at the right time" Tyler replied smugly, then his eyes widened as he recognised the other man, "Oh wait, you're Tom Quill, the dude that got me banned from the Waterhole"

Tom frowned, "No, you got yourself banned because of your inappropriate behaviour"

Aaron was completely perplexed, "Wait a minute, what's going on?"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction at The Waterhole the other day, and this guy demanded that Terese ban me from ever setting foot in there again"

Aaron was aghast, "Seriously?"

Tom nodded reluctantly, "Look, I just want the complex to be as professional and sophisticated as possible, and what your brother was doing went totally against that" he explained, not wanting to damage his chance with Aaron by angering him.

"So my kilt fell down, it's not like I go around doing that on purpose" Tyler argued

Tom shrugged, "Either way, I can't take a risk like that"

Aaron scoffed, "Tyler's hardly 'a risk'"

"He is to Lassiter's' reputation" Tom retorted

"It's not like Lassiter's has that good of a reputation anyway" Tyler interjected, "We know all about the disasters and dodgy stuff that's happened there over the years."

"Yeah, and that's what I want to change" Tom pointed out

Tyler held his gaze as another thought occurred to him, "Hang on, what are you even doing here?" he questioned in annoyance

"Aaron invited me here" Tom replied nonchalantly

"Shouldn't Sonya be here too, considering that she's Aaron's boss?" Tyler asked

Tom shook his head, "It's not about business"

"Then what's it about?" he asked in exasperation, then noticed Aaron giving him a death-stare and realised what was going on, "Hold on, what about Nate?"

Aaron shrugged, "That's not important now"

Tyler snorted, "It kind of is if you're asking another guy out"

Aaron shoved him lightly, "It's none of your business" he muttered

"Whatever" Tyler replied, putting his hands up in a fake surrender, "I'm staying out of your messy love-life"

Aaron nodded, "Good" he retorted as Tyler returned to his room, leaving Tom and Aaron in a slightly awkward silence.

Fortunately, Tom wasn't deterred by what had just happened, "So when did you want to meet up?" he asked

Oblivious to Tom's true intentions, Aaron was surprised that Tom was still interested, but it took him a few moments to figure out if it was a good idea to go out with him considering what had just transpired between him and Tyler. However, he realised that one little conflict shouldn't ruin a potential relationship, so Aaron shrugged, "You know, it might be easier for you to find out when you're free and I'll just make sure that I don't have any other plans then"

Tom nodded, "Ok, well off the top of my head I know I've got next Monday lunchtime free if that works for you"

Aaron shrugged, "I'll make sure it does"

"Great" Tom smiled before handing Aaron his mobile phone, "Why don't you put your number in my phone and I'll text you over the weekend with the details?"

"Sure" Aaron nodded as he quickly tapped in his number before returning the phone to Tom, "I'm looking forward to it" he replied with a small grin

"Me too" Tom nodded as he approached the front door, which Aaron quickly opened for him, "See you"

Aaron nodded as Tom left and shut the door behind him. He knew that Tyler wouldn't be pleased that he was going on a date with Tom, but Aaron figured that it wasn't his brother's business who he dated so he let himself enjoy the feeling of a budding romance.

xxx

Aaron arrived at Lassiter's lake and glanced around, seeking out Tom. He felt uneasy about the fact that he was going on this date despite still technically being in a relationship (although all signs pointed towards the relationship being over) as well as the fact that he was overstepping professional boundaries by getting romantically involved with Tom. Regardless, Aaron shrugged off his hesitation as he spotted Tom halfway round the lake, setting up a picnic. Smiling, Aaron wandered over to him and Tom's face lit up when he saw him approaching, which flattered Aaron immensely.

"Hey" Aaron greeted enthusiastically

Tom grinned wider, "Hi"

There was an awkward pause as they tried to figure out what the most appropriate physical greeting would be. It was too soon for any type of kissing, but they realised that a hug would be too brotherly and a handshake would be too formal. Instead, they somehow opted for a brief, weird wave-thing, which was possibly the worst choice.

Tom glanced up and down at Aaron, "You look great" he commented, trying to change the atmosphere

Although he had tried not to be too overdressed for the occasion with a smart shirt and jeans, Aaron had still put a decent amount of effort into his appearance and noticed that Tom had too, "Thanks, so do you"

"Thanks" Tom responded before clearing his throat, "Well, make yourself comfortable" he instructed cheerily, gesturing to the blanket

Aaron nodded politely before carefully seating himself down amongst the food. Tom joined him and removed a bottle of champagne out of a cold bag.

Aaron laughed as he recognised the label, "Is that the same brand as we had the other night?"

Tom nodded, "Well you had a pretty high opinion of it, so I didn't want to run the risk of disappointing you if I brought something else"

Aaron shook his head, "Nothing about any of this is disappointing" he breathed

"I'm glad" Tom replied, "Help yourself to some food" he suggested as he nodded towards another bag.

As Aaron removed the food from the bag, Tom released the cork on the bottle. It made a satisfying 'pop' sound and flew into the lake, then he grabbed a couple of glasses and filled them up.

"I have to say…" Tom began as he passed Aaron a glass, "I was surprised that you decided to come on this date with me"

Aaron shrugged as he took the glass, "Can't a guy change his mind?" he asked as smoothly as he could

"I never said that" Tom argued carefully as he poured a glass for himself, "It's just that you told me that you're in a relationship, and now suddenly you want to go out with me"

Aaron glanced away uncomfortably and Tom realised that it was a sensitive topic, so he decided not to mention it again until Aaron seemed more willing to discuss it. Instead, Tom raised his glass, "Here's to... new developments" he suggested, wondering if Aaron would catch on to the double meaning.

Aaron did and made a mental note to consider Quill's proposal before raising his glass, "'New developments'" he repeated with a smile before tapping his glass against Tom's and taking a sip.

After a pause, Tom started plating up his food, "So, you mentioned that you've had a few careers before you became the Mayor's assistant…" he recalled from the night that they had met, hoping for Aaron to elaborate.

Aaron nodded coyly, "Yeah, I guess I'm the kind of person who'll try anything once"

"Is that right?" Tom asked teasingly, causing Aaron to blush

"Within reason" Aaron added quickly

Tom laughed, "So, what else have you done?"

"I started off as a mechanic, but that wasn't really for me" Aaron told him, "And after that, I did some mining work but I didn't like that much either, then I became a dancer-"

Tom was taken aback, "Really, what type of dance did you do?" he asked, "Ballet? Street? Contemporary?"

Aaron shook his head, "Have you heard of 'Magic Mike'?"

Tom nodded and his eyes widened as he realised what Aaron meant. Aaron sniggered at Tom's shocked expression, "Yeah, that type of dance"

"Wow, that sounds pretty hot" Tom commented, catching his eye, "Shame I never got to see a performance"

Aaron grinned, "It's not too late"

Tom smirked, "Are you going to give me a private show sometime then?" he asked

"If you play your cards right" Aaron retorted teasingly

Tom held Aaron's gaze as he took a sip of his champagne, "So why did you give it up?"

Aaron sighed, "I got injured a few months ago, and just as I was planning to get back into it again, I got caught up in some council stuff and decided to pursue a career in this area instead"

Tom nodded in understanding, "Your fans must be upset though, that you've turned to the 'dark side'"

Aaron shrugged, "Yeah, I guess going from entertainment to politics is never a popular decision"

"It's not uncommon though" Tom pointed out, "Lots of famous people have made that move as well"

"I guess" Aaron muttered before joking, "One day you might see me on one of those reality shows!"

Tom chuckled, "I wouldn't doubt it" he agreed before swallowing heavily, "How did your boyfriend feel about your dance career?"

"Ex-boyfriend" Aaron reminded him before pulling a face, "He was never happy about it. In fact, when we first met we had an argument about it, and it never really got resolved"

"Is that why you broke up?" Tom asked gently

Aaron shook his head, "No, it wasn't our difference of opinion that caused it" he began sombrely, "While he was away, I thought he was keeping a low profile which is why I couldn't get hold of him. But it turns out he just didn't care about me enough to bother contacting me"

Tom moved closer to him, "That sounds tough" he murmured, "Why did he leave?"

"He has PTSD from his time in the army" Aaron explained, "A couple of months ago he got himself into a lot of trouble because of it, so he left. He said he was doing it to protect me and his family, but I reckon he did it just to protect himself". Aaron groaned and put his head into his hands, "I want him to be ok and to sort his head out, but him giving me the silent treatment isn't fair"

Tom wrapped an arm around him, "He will be ok" he assured him, "But it does sound unfair with him leaving you in the lurch while he gets help, so maybe it's for the best that you guys broke up"

Aron considered this and nodded, then glanced at Tom, "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on about him. I'm trying to get him out of my life, so it's stupid that I brought him up"

Tom shook his head, "No, I'm the one who mentioned him" he argued, "So I'm sorry if I upset you"

Aaron let out a breath, "It's fine, I'm ok now" he assured him before looking worried, "I don't want you to think that I'm still hung up on him, because I'm not"

Tom shrugged, "Break-ups are difficult" he replied casually, "Especially if the relationship was serious"

"It was" Aaron shrugged, "I guess I'm still trying to get my head around it"

Tom gazed at him sympathetically, "Look, when I asked you out, all I wanted was one date" he began, "Obviously it would be great if there were more, but it's ok if you're not ready. I like your company and I wanted to get to know you better"

Aaron smiled, "That's what I want too" he agreed before quickly kissing his cheek, "Now, tell me about yourself"

Tom snickered, "You know what? Your life is infinitely more interesting than mine" he responded, trying to shift the conversation back to his date

"I doubt that" Aaron argued

"Well, we'll hopefully have more opportunities to talk in the future" Tom shrugged, "That's if you want to"

"Yeah, definitely" Aaron replied quickly, "But does that mean that you're ending this date now?"

Tom shook his head, "No, not unless you want to"

"No, I'd like to carry on" Aaron assured him

"Good" Tom replied before taking Aaron's glass and refilling it. He wasn't about to let this opportunity to dig up information about the Mayor's assistant slip through his fingers, so Tom started formulating his next moves.

xxx

Despite the fact that this was a date, Aaron was intrigued to find out more about the Quill Group's hotel development, especially after Tom's toast which suggested that it was still on his mind. Aaron didn't want to give Tom the wrong impression that he was completely on board with the idea, but he figured that it made sense to discuss it off the record as the date was reaching its end.

"So tell me more about this proposal for the hotel" Aaron suggested as he helped Tom to pack the picnic away.

Tom beamed at him, "It's going to be amazing" he gushed, "It'll turn Erinsborough into a tourist hotspot, which will really help the local businesses and give the area the attention that it deserves"

Aaron was taken aback, "Well that was definitely an enthusiastic pitch" he laughed

Tom shrugged, "You know, this is the first real opportunity I've ever had to do something worthwhile and prove that I've got what it takes" he muttered thoughtfully

Aaron nodded in understanding, "I get that" he replied, "But hang on, if you're just in charge of this hotel development, then why are you so worried about the rest of the area?" he asked, remembering what Tyler had told him about Tom banning him from The Waterhole.

"I've lived here long enough to know that Erinsborough doesn't exactly have the cleanest record, so hopefully the new tower will help to change that" Tom explained before looking around, "I mean, even this lake – which is supposed to be a romantic spot – has a bad history. Do you know about Paul Robinson's niece being shot dead in that rotunda a couple of years ago?"

Aaron nodded uncomfortably, "Yeah, Kate. She was my older brother's fiancé, and she was shot just after they got engaged" he murmured

Tom's face dropped, "Oh" he breathed awkwardly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so tactless"

Aaron shrugged, "It's ok, I didn't know her personally" he pointed out, "It was a long time ago, and Mark's moved on now"

Tom nodded and Aaron glanced at the hotel, "It's not been all bad though" he argued, "When Naomi was put in charge of promoting the hotel's new logo, her 'boys-in-a-box' idea was pretty successful"

Tom considered this, then noticed Aaron's coy expression and his eyes widened, "Hang on, that was you, wasn't it?" he exclaimed

Aaron nodded and Tom chuckled, "I knew I recognised you from somewhere" he replied, "That was great for the LGBT community, and the hotel obviously"

Aaron shrugged, "I'm glad it helped"

Tom's face dropped, "The guy you had that kiss with, that was your ex-boyfriend, wasn't it?"

Aaron nodded, "That was a while before we got together, but I guess it will always be there"

Tom nodded sombrely as they made their way back to the complex itself. Passing by The Waterhole, Tom cleared his throat, "But look, even though The Waterhole has only been open for a couple of years, it's already had its fair share of drama" he continued, "I mean, a guy was coward-punched right outside the door"

Tom glanced at Aaron and noticed his uneasy expression, "You know about that too, don't you?"

Aaron nodded, "The guy who threw the punch is actually a mate of mine" he replied, "And the guy who got punched was my ex's ex"

Tom let out a breath, "Wow, I'm really putting my foot in it, aren't I?"

Aaron shook his head, "I get the point you're trying to make" he assured him, "But you understand that this is tricky for the council, right? Weighing up the benefits and the drawbacks, figuring out the budget-"

"I've made sure that I'm always a step ahead" Tom interrupted, "This development will have far-reaching effects. I mean, an increase in foot-traffic can only be a benefit, right?"

Aaron considered this and Tom continued, "Take Erinsborough High, for example. Since the fire, things have been difficult. But if more people come to the area, the school will draw them in so there'll be more students, more jobs, higher standards and better results"

Aaron glanced away awkwardly, remembering his involvement in the fire a few months earlier. His demeanour didn't go amiss by Tom, who sighed, "Did you know the people involved in that too, by any chance?"

"Yeah, and I was involved as well" Aaron admitted, "I did something stupid that made the whole situation worse"

Tom was intrigued, "What do you mean?"

Aaron sighed, "While I was unemployed, I found myself in a tight spot financially so I was trying to come up with ways to make some fast cash" he explained, "Basically, I bought some cheap fertiliser from this guy who'd turned up at the school in the hope that I could sell it on for a profit. I knew Mark - who's a cop - wouldn't be happy about it, so I hid it in Susan's office for the night until I could figure out what to do with it"

"What happened?" Tom asked curiously

"What do you think happened?" Aaron retorted bitterly, "The fire broke out, the fertiliser caused it to accelerate out of control and it set off some explosions which put everyone's lives in danger"

Tom stared at Aaron, shocked but slightly smug that he had managed to find out all of this scandalous information which he could definitely use to his advantage if he ever wanted to, "But you didn't know that would happen" Tom argued, feigning sincerity

"Exactly" Aaron agreed before shrugging, "Anyway, it's all been dealt with now and everyone's moved on"

"That's good to know" Tom commented flatly, "But it's recent history that might put people off, which is why this development is such a good idea"

Aaron looked doubtful, "You really think building a new tower next to the hotel is going to erase people's memories of all the bad stuff that's happened here over the years?"

"Well no, I'm not a psychologist" Tom argued, "But it'll definitely draw positive attention to the place, which might help to balance out the negatives"

Aaron mulled this over, "Well you're certainly persuasive"

Tom grinned, "Wow, and I didn't even need to use plan B to try to convince you" he joked

Aaron looked intrigued, "What was plan B?"

"This" Tom replied before closing the distance between them to kiss Aaron deeply.

Aaron reciprocated the kiss and wrapped his arms around Tom's neck. However, they were interrupted by Sheila, who was watching them from afar, "Hey, get a room!" she called out teasingly, inwardly surprised to see Aaron moving on from Nate so quickly. Kyle had only recently told her about what had happened between Nate and Aaron as well as Tom asking Aaron out, so seeing them kissing in public was a bit of a shock.

Tom and Aaron reluctantly pulled away from each other, "Maybe some other time" Tom sniggered in response to Sheila, who had returned inside.

Aaron smiled, "Sounds good to me" he replied as he loosened his grip on the taller man.

"So we're doing this again?" Tom questioned

Aaron nodded, "As long as you want to"

"Yeah, definitely" Tom agreed before frowning, "But I agreed to meet with Julie this afternoon so I should probably head off"

Aaron was slightly disappointed by the sudden end to the date but nodded, "That's fine, but why don't you just call me later and we can arrange another date?"

"Yeah, I will" Tom replied with a grin before turning around

Aaron quickly reached out to stop him, "By the way, plan B definitely convinced me"

Tom laughed before capturing his lips one more time in a lingering kiss, "I'll see you soon" he murmured before walking away.

Aaron watched after him, wondering in awe how a guy like Tom could be interested in him and was amazed by how much his luck had changed recently. Blissfully unaware of Tom's motive, Aaron headed off in the opposite direction with a spring in his step and not a single thought of his ex-boyfriend entering his head.

Thanks for reading! I was really annoyed that the show had that large jump in time, so I wanted to fill in that big gap. Plus, I actually thought the scenes they had whilst they were 'dating' were cute, even if nobody else did. Actually, I wanted to fill in some more gaps in the Tom and Aaron storyline, so if anyone wants to give me some prompts to write, I'll group them into one chapter. As always, if anyone has any ideas for one-shots, then please let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!