A HUGE THANKS goes out to RainGoddess2040, B. Logan, WaffleNinja and RaiineDays for reviewing the first chapter!

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It took all of four months for Josh to become the one of the best friends Aidan had ever had, a feeling he knew was mutual. Although, considering he was more than ten times Josh's age, Aidan felt that statement carried a bit more weight coming from him. They ingratiated themselves fully and effortlessly into each other's lives. Josh had stayed in his guest room for a couple of weeks and though Aidan had invited him to stay, Josh had insisted that Aidan had done so much for him already and he didn't want to impose (thinking back on it, bringing home that really, um, enthusiastic waitress may have had something to do with it). Josh found a place of his own, which was only two blocks from Aidan's apartment. Aidan felt it was a useless gesture, considering they spent most nights together at one or the other's apartment anyway. Since Josh was new to Boston after leaving his pre-Wolf life behind, Aidan had talked the head of personnel at the hospital into giving him a job. He'd been in Med-school before, but had dropped out after accepting that he was, in fact, a Werewolf, so the only job he was qualified for in the hospital was as an orderly. It was almost criminal to have Josh's brilliant scientific mind be wasted on janitorial duties, but he seemed content just to be working in a hospital.

There were times when Aidan could see what an amazing doctor he would have been, not only because of his intelligence, but for his seemingly inexhaustible ability to care. While doctors were all business and nurses engaged in insincere small talk, Josh took an extra moment after replacing a bed pan or changing the sheets to actually treat the patients like people instead of charts. He took the time to learn their names. He knew the names of family members that visited regularly, greeting them when they were there and asking after them when they were not. For as painfully, tragically, and hilariously awkward as he was around stable adults, it all just fell away in the face of vulnerable and scared patients. It was like he couldn't be bothered with the suffocating pressure of his own social failings when confronted with what he considered to be real problems, which ironically made him the funny, relaxed guy he desperately wished he could be all the time.

And the kids. Man, he was good with the kids. If he had become a doctor, he would have been God's gift to pediatrics. He could coax them into taking their medications, assuage their fears before a surgery, make them laugh even when they were at death's door. The families of those kids looked at him like he was an angel for giving their child some measure of peace in the sterile, intimidating hospital environment.

That's why, when Aidan's shift ended, the first place he looked for Josh was in the children's ward. Out of habit, he glanced through the windows of the private rooms of the pediatrics unit as he walked, but Aidan could smell that Josh was in the main room. When he arrived, he looked through the large window and surveyed the familiar scene. A dozen beds, each occupied by a tiny human, lined the walls of the open space. It was brightly decorated, with balloons and toys and happy murals on the walls. Beside every bed was an exhausted and worried parent, though faint smiles could be seen as Josh worked his guileless magic on the room. The on-call doctor would occasionally glance at him with an affectionate, bemused twinkle in her eye before returning to her charts.

Aidan finally stood in the doorway and leaned against the frame, his arms crossed casually over his chest and a fond look cast at the oblivious Werewolf.

"Me next! Me next!" a little girl squealed joyously, bouncing while seated on her mattress. Aidan recognized her as a regular in the ward, due to an autoimmune disease, and one of Josh's favorite patients.

Josh shot a look at the girl's mother, who nodded in unspoken permission. Relaxing, Josh smiled at the little girl. "Alright, Livy, you're next, you're next!"

"Yay!"

"Now, you've got to hold still, okay? This is a very delicate - stop giggling, young lady! – very delicate and serious test. Ready?" Josh teased.

"Ready!" Olivia grinned, sitting up and holding perfectly still. Josh put a hand on the side of her head and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, letting them linger for a few seconds. He withdrew, humming and ahhing before Olivia got impatient and demanded, "Well?"

"99.4 degrees." Josh pronounced.

"Is he right, Doctor Young?" Olivia asked excitedly. The doctor came to the bed, shooting an amused smile at Josh, and then stuck a thermometer in the girl's ear. After a few seconds, a beep was heard and the doctor looked at the read-out.

Shaking her head and grinning, the doctor said, "99.4 degrees on the dot. Josh, you're six for six! That's pretty incredible."

"How'd you learned to do that, Josh?" Olivia asked.

"My mom always did it for me when I was a kid and she was never wrong. When she had my baby sister, I begged her to show me how. Emily was always sick as a kid, so I got a lot of practice."

"Who's next?" Doctor Young asked the room. A chorus of 'me me me!' went up through the room, but Olivia looked right at Aidan, pointed and shouted, "Him!"

The kids and parents all swiveled to look at him and Aidan grinned at the room. "I think Josh has more important patients than me."

"No, you!" Olivia insisted. The other kids tended to defer to her, as her frequent stays and legendary stubbornness had dubbed her the unofficial queen of the ward in the other children's eyes. As she continued to stare him down, the other kids started shouting and insisting right along with her. The parents eventually joined in, partially to see their kids happy. That, and Josh's suddenly flushed face and his uncomfortable squirming presented a good chance for them to tease him back.

"Alright! I'm going, I'm going!" Josh grumbled good-naturedly, throwing up his hands. The kids cheered and Josh approached Aidan slowly, eyes trained on his own feet.

"Sorry about this, man." Josh said under his breath, shooting the Vampire an apologetic glance from under his lashes.

"Well, Doc?" Aidan baited, enjoying Josh's discomfort as much as the other adults in the room.

"Ass." Josh muttered, grabbing the back of Aidan's head and pulling the slightly taller man's forehead to his lips. Josh's lips were like fire against his chilled skin and he felt Josh's hand slowly slide from the back of his head until it was pressed against the side of his neck, nearly cupping his jaw. It was all he could do to hold back a contented sigh and not lean into Josh's touch. Despite his active and satisfying sex life, the intimacy and tenderness of the gesture was something those encounters were always sorely lacking. It was a simple, soul-soothing comfort, one he hadn't experienced in a long time. He didn't even realize his eyes had fallen shut until the lips against his skin puckered slightly before withdrawing.

Quickly opening his eyes, they immediately met Josh's for half a second longer and with ten times more depth than was generally considered appropriate between dudes.

Blinking and looking away, Josh whispered, "94.7 degrees."

Then turning around and addressing the room, he announced dramatically, "A perfect 98.6! Boys and girls, I give you the picture of health, the master of wellness, a shining example of your health care system at work, Mr. Aidan McCollin!"

The adults laughed at Josh's antics and the kids resumed their cries of 'me next!', before Josh bowed and blew a kiss at the room. "Thank you! Thank you! Alas, no more tonight, but never fear! I'll be back tomorrow!"

Groans followed them as they left the room, walking side by side toward the exit.

"Cute trick." Aidan smirked.

"Aidan, you have no idea the tricks my mouth can do." Josh smirked back, continuing on even as Aidan jerked to a stop at the uncharacteristically witty and decidedly dirty comeback. Jogging a few paces to catch up with his friend and throwing an arm over Josh's shoulders, he honestly had no idea what to say to that, so he settled for the ubiquitous, deadpan, ever versatile, "Dude."

Josh just shoved Aidan away and laughed. Aidan pushed him back, snorting when Josh tripped over his feet. Swearing vengeance, the Werewolf ran after him and Aidan gave chase, relishing the sound of their laughter and mocking taunts on the air.

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I loved hearing people's thoughts on the first chapter! Please take the time to review – it'll make my day!

~Fate Harbor