Lingering Trust Issues

Who: Aiden and Dorian
When: Afternoon
Where: Dorian's house

Aiden had planned on calling Dorian the night before, but had been caught up in watching the news and spending time with Shannon, so instead, he finally dragged himself out of bed that afternoon, showered and changed and then got into his car to track the guy down. He had intended on going to Nevermore, figuring that's where Dorian would be with all the shit happening around town, but as he drove by Dorian's house, he noted his friend's car parked outside. Hoping that he wasn't busy, or had company, Aiden parked along the curb across the street and got out of the car. He was knocking moments later and readjusting the hat on his head as he waited for Dorian, hopefully, to answer.

Dorian didn't work full days, regardless of what was going on in the world. He couldn't stand to be cooped up in the shop that long, especially on a Saturday. With Alexis working the afternoon shift, he'd taken off, glad to spend his afternoon however he damn well pleased. In this case, he'd gone to work out, and was now fixing himself a late lunch when he heard a knock at the front door. Sandwich in hand, he opened it, then smiled as he nodded Aiden in. "Hey man. Just thought you'd drop by?" he asked. "Hungry?" It wasn't all that hard to fix another sandwich if he was.

"I had a feelin' you would be makin' food, so of course I thought I'd just drop by," Aiden told him with a grin. Not entirely true, but he hadn't eaten since he had woken up, and his stomach was reminding him of that fact. He stepped inside the house and motioned toward Dorian's sandwich. "I'll take one of those. Not busy, are you?" The house seemed quiet-ish and he figured if Dorian had company, Aiden would know by now.

"Unless busy includes eating a sandwich, then no," Dorian chuckled, leading Aiden towards the kitchen after shutting the door behind him. "What've you been up to? Weren't you going to take off across the country to try and track down Eury's uncle? Or have you already done that?" He was surprised to find that it was the first time he'd thought of Eury since last seeing Aiden, since it used to be an every day occurrence. He didn't mind at all, but it was still unexpected.

Oh shit. He hadn't told Dorian about what he'd found at Eury's. Grimacing, Aiden tucked his hands into his jacket pockets. "No, I haven't done that. Eury's... I don't know, she's gone. Her place wasn't in the best condition when I went over there, and there was a statue... I really don't know what the fuck to do about it. If it was her uncle, or someone else. Or someone tried somethin' and she took off afterward..."

Dorian frowned, looking up at Aiden in concern. While things hadn't worked out with him and Eury, he certainly didn't want anything to happen to her. "Did you try tracking anything down? Giving her a call? Anything? I mean, she wouldn't have called me, but maybe she left a note up in her apartment or..." He really didn't know how he felt about that. Part of him said he should go and check it out himself, while the rest of him said to fuck it.

"I've called around to the people who I had been callin' about her uncle, but I wasn't gettin' much. I was reluctant to bring up the fact that she was a gorgon... I think that would have caused her more trouble. Her phone was in her apartment, destroyed. I've been thinkin' about tracking down this guy in town she's friendly with... Ash something, see if he knows anythin'. I guess I just don't know if she was taken, or took off... I feel like a jerk for not rushin' out to find her."

"Ash..." Dorian said, positive he knew that name. It only took a couple of seconds to remember from where. "The guy works at a garage. Helped me winterize my car. I can put you in touch with him, if you think it would help." Though it could just be another dead end. Dorian took a deep breath and shook his head. "Shit, I dunno. I'm not the expert in tracking. I just assumed she was still doing her thing, down at her shop." He had no reason to think otherwise.

Aiden didn't really want to call the guy, or go see him, since he hated the guy just on the principle that Eury had liked him. But... if it helped, and he knew something, then it would be worth it. "Yeah, that'd be great, actually. Or just tell me where his garage is and I can stop by myself. I guess anythin' would be helpful at this point." It didn't help his guilt at all that he'd been fucking around with Jules either. "I'll keep you updated on what I find out. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Dorian was past the point of hating guys that Eury liked. Far as he knew, that would include just about everyone but him, and he'd rather have friends than a girl that wasn't interested. "Yeah, I can do that," Dorian nodded. Telling Aiden where the garage was was just as easy as passing him along the number. "Don't worry about it. I mean, I don't think there's anything I could do that you haven't, and there's been a lot going down." Plus, Dorian felt it was generally better for their friendship if they not discuss Eury. "So, what else have you been up to?" Dorian asked, handing Aiden a sandwich and a soda, then leaning against the counter to take a bite of his own.

That at least alleviated some of the guilt he was feeling. He wasn't sure what else he could do for her other than try to find out if anyone knew something... but most of the hunters he knew thought gorgons were pretty much wiped out. He took a bite of his sandwich, thankful for the change of subject. Like Dorian, Aiden figured it was best for them both to leave Eury out of most of their discussions. "Not a whole lot, honestly. Been kind of bored lately." He paused to open his soda. "Been spending some time with Jules. She said she was gonna stop by your store this mornin' for some information. Did she make it in?"

"Yeah, she did," Dorian said with a smirk. "You didn't tell me she was so good." Dorian was willing to bet Aiden would know exactly what he was implying, regardless of whether it happened or not. He was curious. And maybe just a bit cruel. But definitely curious to see how Aiden would handle it, if he'd take him seriously, or if he'd immediately know Dorian was joking. It'd been a while since Dorian's sense of humor had made itself present, so Dorian was ready to duck, just in case Aiden threw a punch. Even if he did, it'd be worth the reaction.

Aiden paused mid-chew and ticked his cool gaze over to Dorian's face. He knew exactly what Dorian was implying and there was that initial twitch to hit the guy before it disappeared. Sure, there was the would he? and then would she? but it faded almost as quickly as it entered his mind. He would deserve it, sure, but Dorian wasn't that kind of guy. Aiden swallowed his bite of food before chuckling. "You almost got a soda can thrown at your head, man..." Would have been worse if Aiden had taken Dorian seriously. A lot worse. He grinned and lifted his sandwich a bit. "I think she's too crazy about me to fuck you."

"Don't think I wasn't prepared for it," Dorian grinned, glad he hadn't received a soda can to the head or anything worse. "You'd fucking deserve it, if it was true. Too bad I'm a nice guy." He wasn't entirely sure if he agreed with Aiden, but then this last time he and Jules had gotten along far better. She hadn't been overly flirty with him, and he hadn't called her names. Dorian figured that was a good sign. "I helped her out the best I could, and offered to try and teach her. I don't know if I can, but it's worth a shot. My question for you is, how much should I trust her? I can give her examples with my own kinda shit, but I don't need her running off telling people I'm a psychic."

"Yeah, I would." He wasn't stupid enough to deny that much. Aiden knew he probably deserved a lot worse than that. Aiden relaxed again, now that he was positive he wouldn't have to try and beat up his closest friend. "You're gonna teach her?" And maybe that didn't settle too well, but what could he say? No? Aiden shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich as he considered Dorian's question. Finally he nodded. "I trust her. I told her what I do. I don't think she's gonna go around tellin' people about you, especially if you tell her not to." Although knowing Dorian was a telekinetic, and Jules was an Air elemental... now they had something to bond over. Brilliant.

Dorian sensed that something was going on in Aiden's head; he just didn't know what and he wasn't quite ready to jump to conclusions. "I'm gonna try. It might be a lost cause, but I thought I could get her a start. She's going to have to run with it, though, since that's really all I can provide." He knew something about how the mind worked, but he wasn't actually an air elemental. Hopefully Jules would know how to use what he gave her to the best of her abilities. "Just had to ask," Dorian shrugged, then took a bite of his sandwich. He never felt comfortable telling people his secrets, even if they had good reason to keep them.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Aiden said. "I could help her out too... not as knowledgeable as you are, but I'm sure I could do somethin'. As long as she doesn't create some horrible weather disaster when she gets pissed at me, I'm totally fine with it." He smirked and took a sip of his soda, wishing it were beer. "So besides being overrun with people wantin' answers on ghosts, what have you been up to? Standin' around in your kitchen eatin' sandwiches by yourself?"

"That's always a problem when you're dealing with someone that's got something extra," Dorian smirked. "Piss her off and she might send a lightning bolt on your ass or something. Even worse, make it hail on your car." Dorian knew how much that car meant to Aiden. That was why he'd beat the shit out of it, rather than Aiden himself, when he'd found out he was sleeping with Eury. "Is lunch supposed to be an exciting event?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Not much. Working and hanging out with Joey." And killing some werewolves that one time, but he thought not to mention that.

"Fuck," Aiden muttered, thinking about hail on his car. "Maybe teach her what you can, but stop short of letting her know she can do stuff like that, yeah? Would help me out, because I can't guarantee I won't piss her off again. It seems to be a regular occurrence." And half the time, he wasn't sure what the hell he'd done to set her off. "Any event can be excitin', if you want it to be. Just throw in a naked woman and you're set." Aiden grinned even while he tried to remember who Joey was. "Joey? Oh, right. How's she, then?" Made him feel a lot better knowing there was some chick in the picture, possibly. He wouldn't worry so much then about Dorian teaching Jules elemental related things.

"I don't think I can get her as far as weather patterns, but if I see her summoning rain, I won't mention other possibilities," Dorian grinned. "Or you could maybe not piss her off. I know that's hard to fathom, but some guys seem to manage it. Maybe not with Jules, though." Just because he'd gotten through one conversation with her without one of them snapping at the other, didn't mean every time would be like that. It was bound to happen again, though Dorian would do his best to avoid it. "She's good. I'm picking her up for drinks tonight," Dorian said, still somewhat vague. He knew he hadn't mentioned Joey to Aiden before, since he didn't especially like mentioning the girls he liked to Aiden. For all he knew, Aiden would be chasing her by tomorrow. "I'll let her know she needs to drop by over lunch and spice things up a bit."

"I don't try to piss women off, contrary to popular belief," Aiden grouched. "You say one thing, they take it as somethin' else and you're fucked. There's no turnin' back from it." He finished off his sandwich, thankful for the food. He probably would have started drinking without eating and been sloppy drunk by the time he hit Jules that night. With the mirror. Yeah, he wanted to be sober for that. He snickered at Dorian's comment about the woman spicing up his lunch hour. "If she's a good woman, I'm sure she'll be all for it." Aiden also knew Dorian well enough to know when he was holding back. And he knew exactly why he was holding back. "You can talk to me 'bout her if you want to, Dor. I'm not gonna try to fuck her. You think I'd make the same mistake twice?"

"I think you'll take the opportunity to get laid without thinking about me beating your face in afterwards," Dorian pointed out. He wanted to trust Aiden, but he'd done that once and paid for it. He'd be the one making the same mistake twice, if he wasn't careful about it. Then again, he couldn't see Joey falling into bed with Aiden. Sure, they'd moved fast, but he didn't think they'd ever even met. "She's a good woman," Dorian said with a little smirk. "Doesn't mean we've had kitchen sex, but I wouldn't cross it off the list either. We like to talk; she brought me coffee this morning." That made him smile. The little things always did.

"I'm not gonna chase after a woman you want," Aiden said firmly. "I fucked up once, and I'm sorry for that. I learned my lesson, yeah? I'm not gonna do it again. Not only for you, but I don't think my car has recovered from the trauma the last time." It was a small attempt at a joke, but he hoped Dorian would eventually believe him. He still felt guilt over betraying his friend and he had to deal with the trust issues Dorian had now. Only he couldn't work on winning back Dorian's trust if Dorian wouldn't let him. "You haven't had kitchen sex, but you did get laid? And you like to actually talk to her? Damn..." He shook his head. "You must be doin' something right if she brought you coffee."

"Yeah, I got laid," Dorian said with a satisfied little smirk. He normally wasn't one to brag, but it had been far too long since been with a girl and he was still in a good mood about it. "And we like to talk. I like her company. She believes in all the shit that we do, so I don't have to pretend I don't believe in stuff. I'd hang out with her even if she wasn't interested in me." It wouldn't have been quite as good, since he did have a thing for her, but he thought he could have dealt with it.

"So not only do you get the brains, but you get the body too. Not bad. As long as she doesn't turn out to be psycho or some shite, then I'm happy for you." All women, Aiden had learned, had psychotic tendencies. Some were worse than others. He was also usually wary of women who already knew about and believed in the supernatural. It generally meant they were something supernatural themselves. "Maybe someday you'll introduce me to her, yeah? When you trust that I'm not gonna try and undress her in front of you and shite."

"I've no doubt that she'll turn out to be a psycho of some sort," Dorian laughed. "But she's seeing me, so who am I to complain?" He was much more concerned that he'd some how rain hell down upon her and she'd take off running than her turn out to be something he couldn't handle. "Maybe I'll introduce you, but you've gotta promise not to try and fuck her or kill her. You were never guilty of doing something in front of me, Aiden. It was what you did behind my back with the knowledge that it would hurt me that makes me not trust you." At least he was honest about it. Dorian saw no reason to lie when it came to his issues with Aiden and women.

Well, at least he was honest. It was still frustrating for Aiden, though, since he wanted to make things right. He just didn't know if he would ever be able to. "I'm not going to try and fuck her, for Christ's sake, Dorian. And why the hell would I try to kill her?" That bothered him more than Dorian assuming he'd try to have sex with the woman. "Told you I was sorry about Eury, friend. I'm tryin' to get you to trust me again, but I don't know if I can keep tryin' if you're never gonna bend on it. What's it gonna take? Meetin' a woman of yours and not tryin' to sleep with her? Lettin' you take a go at Jules? What can I do?"

"Don't tell me you have to try not to sleep with her," Dorian said, rolling his eyes. He didn't really understand why this was so hard for Aiden to understand. It was a moral issue that even he got, and he was half demon. "Look, there's no magic action you can take that's going to make me suddenly trust you on this kinda thing. You showed poor judgment and crossed a line that I thought was firmly in place. Earning it back takes time. But you're here now and I just fixed you a fuckin' sandwich, so don't cry about me not bending. All you have to do at this point is not chase after Joey. I don't want Jules, and even if I did, I'd respect the fact that you're into her. Try to show me you can do the same."

"I didn't mean it like that," Aiden said, trying not to get exasperated. "I know earnin' it back takes time. I've been tryin' at least." He was still in town, after all. "You don't have to worry about this, okay? I'm not gonna chase after your girl. Not only do I not want to, but I think if I did, Jules would eventually make sure my car had the unfortunate luck of gettin' hit by lightnin' and blowin' the fuck up. I know you don't believe me, and that's fine, I get it, but I'm not gonna fuck up again." Aiden lifted his can in thanks. "Good sandwich though."

"Glad you've got a girl around who can really kick your ass if you fuck up," Dorian laughed. He knew Aiden was trying and that meant a lot to him. It was why he was willing to resume his friendship with the guy. But it didn't mean he wasn't weary about introducing him to Joey. Eventually he'd get around to it, but it wasn't something he was going to rush out and do. "So you're really into Jules then?" Dorian asked, since that seemed to be the case. He wanted to ask what had happened to Aiden's feelings for Eury, but that would only drag them back into muddy waters that he wanted to avoid.

The question took him by surprise for some reason and it took Aiden a second to even process it. He stared at Dorian blankly before his brows furrowed together in concentration. "Into her? I don't know. Maybe? I don't know. Still tryin' to figure my way around it," he admitted, not entirely comfortable with getting into whatever it was he felt for Jules. "She's good company, most of the time." When she wasn't driving Aiden completely mad. "And she's nice to look at, so... how's a guy like me suppose to resist?"

For as well as they got along, Dorian realized that when it came to women he and Aiden were completely different people. Possibly on a different planet sort of different. "Is that really all you look for in a woman?" Dorian asked, raising a brow. "You test her out in bed, and then decide if you like her or not? I mean, do you enjoy her company when you're not planning on fucking her?" It seemed like a simple question to him, though he realized there were some things that he and Aiden just didn't see the same. Women, apparently, were one of them.

"Honestly, friend, I don't know what I look for in a woman. I don't know that I have preferences because I've never stayed with one for more than a night or two." Other than Eury, and he still felt fucked up about that in a dozen different ways. "I never stayed in one place as long as I've been in Marquette because of my job, so it's not like I'd drive into Vegas, see an attractive women and think long term. I don't fuck women I don't like. And yeah, I enjoy Jules's company when I'm not intendin' on bedding her." Aiden paused and cocked an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, you never cared much about enjoyin' a girl's company before you fucked her either."

"Yeah, that's something that changed after college," Dorian shrugged. "I mean, sure, I've gotta be attracted to 'em, but I guess what I find attractive changed from just being physical to something more. Doesn't mean I'm looking for something long term." He didn't think he could maintain a long term relationship if he tried. Instead, he was hoping that things would just come easy and would remain just as comfortable as they had when they'd started. There were still no strings attached, as far as he could tell. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm not moving. Things don't go right, and the girl's still gonna be around to hate my ass. And if they're good, nothing's wrong with wanting to hang out with her."

"If that works for you, then that's fine," Aiden said. "Doesn't work for everyone though, does it? You've got some sense of stability here, Dor. You've got family, and a business. You're not movin', but that doesn't mean I'm not. If I just wanted to fuck Jules and be done with her, I'd have done it the night we met." She certainly let him know she would have been willing. "I like her company, regardless of what we're doin'. I'm not thinkin' about what's gonna happen next week, or a year from now. I don't live my life that way. And I'm not sayin' you do either, but where you might need more than just physical attraction to go to bed with someone, I don't think I do. I don't usually have time to delve any deeper than that, as shallow as it sounds."

"It is shallow," Dorian laughed. "And makes me glad I'm your friend and not a girl you'd like to fuck." Of the two of them, Dorian didn't necessarily think he was the more stable one, but he was starting to realize he had a better grasp of relationships than Aiden did. He wasn't entirely sure how that had happened, but from what he'd seen and experienced himself, he knew it to be true. "So, you're still here in Marquette. Anything holding you here? Or you just haven't found a job elsewhere yet? Not that I want you to leave-- if you take off, then I'm short a drinking buddy," he grinned.

Aiden never claimed to know a thing about relationships. He avoided them at all costs, and the one time he gave into it, it left him feeling fucked and confused. He just liked to do what he pleased, regardless of the consequences. It was how he learned, even now. "Yeah, it is, but..." Aiden shrugged, as it didn't bother him any. When Dorian asked what was holding him in Marquette, Aiden was silent as he tried to think of a good enough answer. "Not sure... I guess you. I didn't want to leave without knowin' we were okay. I guess I thought this earnin' back your trust thing wouldn't take so long," he said jokingly. "But I'm willin' to wait it out."

Dorian knew that Aiden was taking this seriously, but he didn't realize it was the sole reason Aiden had remained in Marquette. No wonder Aiden was frustrated, though if Dorian had known his intention, he'd have easily told him it wasn't going to be a quick thing to change. "Dude, if you need to skip town, don't let me stop you. It really is great having you here, and I appreciate it, but I don't wanna be the reason you, like, go mad for staying in one place too long, or something," Dorian said, not entirely sure how to handle this. It wasn't what he was used to, but it reminded him of his brothers. He couldn't say why, other than that tie that kept people together after they'd been a complete idiot.

It wasn't entirely Dorian who was keeping him there, but Aiden was reluctant to admit that. "I've got jobs here and there that are takin' me out of town. And my sister's here," he admitted. "I don't feel right uprootin' her and draggin' her across the country." Though he wondered if Dorian would prefer Aiden left. Maybe he did, who knew? Aiden was sure he'd worn out his welcome a long time ago. "If I get somethin' that requires me to skip town for a bit, I will." He dug out his phone from his jacket and glanced at it. "I should probably get goin'. Just wanted to stop by and check on ya."

"Well, let me know if it's ever for something interesting. You know I like to get out now and then," Dorian grinned. He honestly liked having Aiden around, when he wasn't ready to throttle him. Hopefully that could be avoided for a while. All it would take was Aiden keeping his dick in his pants around Joey. How could that be so hard? "Thanks for dropping by," he said. "We should go out sometime soon. Grab some beers. Maybe-- maybe-- even invite the girls." He thought that he could probably deal better with Aiden meeting Joey if Jules was there too. Then again, that meant he'd have to watch himself around Jules for a completely different reason.

"'Course," Aiden agreed with an easy grin. "Next time I get a call about somethin' interesting, I'll let ya know. And drinks sound good... anytime man, just give me a call." Having girls included in the mix could prove to be strange, but it wasn't anything he was ready to shoot down. Maybe if Dorian saw Aiden had no interest in his coffee chick whatsoever, he'd feel a bit better about the situation. Aiden finished off his soda and threw it away before heading toward the front door. "Have fun tonight, yeah? Don't get too wasted that you can't get it up. I hear girls find that to be a total moment killer."

"Thanks for the advice," Dorian laughed as he showed Aiden to the door. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He wasn't positive it would lead to that anyways, though he knew he wouldn't be opposed. It was a good day when he could hang out with both Aiden and Joey, though he was still content to keep them separate. No need to make things too difficult too soon. After all, things were going good, even when the world seemed to be falling apart around them. At least it kept things interesting.