Cats, Conversations, and Conspiracies 15.5
Title: Cats, Conversations, and Conspiracies
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Demarc 15.5
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: None
Word Count: 1678
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Robert and Alan have dinner at Traci’s.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Where it all began
Big table of prompts is here
Order of the story is here
Previous story:
Ring Tones
Alan really wished that he was telling the truth about the frisking before dinner. Oh, he wanted to, but Robert wasn't falling for his charm. Alan tried pouting, but Robert just blew him a kiss, then went back to rummaging for a pair of black socks. Deciding to try again that night, Alan went in search of a few good bottles of wine he had been saving, and then went back to the bedroom to watch Robert dress.
"Should I bring tissues?" Alan asked, as they headed out the door to wait for the cab.
"Just stuff some in your pockets for the cab ride. I am sure Traci has some. And besides, there is always toilet paper."
"I am not going to sit at the dinner table with a roll of toilet paper next to me," Alan grumbled as he went to fill his pockets.
***
They arrived fashionably late at 6:40. Robert stood next to Alan and rang the buzzer.
Traci greeted them by giving Robert a warm hug.
"No love for me?"
"Nope." She wasn't one to mince words.
"At least Rodger will appreciate me," Alan sighed and disappeared into the house.
"Rodger?" Robert questioned.
"His cat. Been taking care of the blighter for over 15 years, since Alan used to be gone for such long stretches." She motioned Robert inside and closed the door. "Poor old Rodger is really getting on in his years. He is the only way that I can get regular visits from Alan lately. Don't know what is going to happen when he passes." She led him down the hallway and they found Alan on his knees, petting the cat sprawled across her bed.
"You've been overfeeding him," Alan said, glancing over his shoulder.
"A fat cat is a happy cat. Plus he binges when you aren't with him."
"You've had him since '93."
Robert slowly lowered himself next to Alan, not wanting to upset the cat. "He like strangers?"
Traci smiled. "Dinner in 10, boys." And she left them alone with the cat.
"Here, let him get a good sniff of you," Alan instructed.
Rodger turned his eyes on Robert, blinking slowly as he sniffed the offered hand.
"Probably smell enough like me to have him fooled; his eyesight's not what it used to be."
Rodger gently headbutted Robert's hand, so Robert started to pet him, scratching behind an ear when it was offered.
"Been thinking about getting another, but it feels like I'm being disloyal to the old fellow." Alan folded his arms and rested his head on them. "Plus, it would need looking after when I am off for weeks at a time. Have a feeling that sis would end up with that one, too. Crafty, she is." He cleared his throat and did a high-pitched imitation of her, "Sure! I'll look after him! Just bring him 'round with his things. He can stay as long as he'd like!"
Robert laughed. "You sounded like my 6th Grade school teacher."
"This night is going to shape into a 'pick-on-me' night, won't it?"
Robert smiled and patted the softly purring cat once more before standing. He rubbed his hand through Alan's hair and gave it a little scrub. "I’m going to go help your sister. You can have some quality time with Rodger."
Alan looked up at Robert, his eyes shinning with emotion. He nodded and inhaled through his stuffy nose, the air seeping in through the stuffed nostrils.
Robert stood at the doorway and looked back as Alan talked to the plump grey cat and stroked him gently, talking in hushed tones.
***
"What can I help you with?" Robert asked as he walked into the small tidy white kitchen.
Traci turned around, her bangs sliding across her forehead as she lifted a casserole out of the oven and set it on the counter. "Nothing, honestly." She paused, then turned to smile. "Well, you can keep me company, dear."
Robert gave her a lazy smile and settled on the bar stool. He lifted the edge of the foil covering to take a peek and his hands were quickly snapped with a towel. "Ouch."
"It will get cold if you go lifting the lid," she scolded him playfully.
Robert rubbed his hand for effect. "Well at least tell me what it is. It smells great."
"Oh, one of Alan's favorites. Me homemade mac and cheese with broccoli."
"It smells good." Robert watched her move around the neat kitchen, efficiently cleaning as she assembled the finished up the preparation. He did not see the resemblance physically, but they moved the same and Robert smiled as he watched her, remembering Alan buzzing around his own kitchen.
"He was a right pain a few months back, thanks for giving him back his smile." Traci opened the fridge and just let the words hang in the air.
"Traci?"
She turned around and set a bag of rolls on the counter and stood across from him, "Alan can be a twat. He has a temper and pushes away the people he cares about the most. You came back and Britain will be better for it," she added with a laugh, defusing the serious tone.
"The whole country, wow. Who knew it was..."
Traci laid her hand across Robert's. "I'm serious. Rodger is dying and I'm glad Alan has someone he loves to be here for him. His life is better with you in it. Thank you for going with him."
Robert felt the words clog his throat. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of her hand against his. He opened his eyes as he looked up. "It was not just for Alan. We both needed to answer some questions. Portugal was nice for us to get some things out in the open."
"You guys okay then? I don't want to see me brother all messed up again."
Robert gave her a slight smile. "We are okay. Don't worry."
Traci's face broke into a big smile and she returned to getting dinner completed. “When are you heading back to the states?"
"I leave in two days. First to do a job in New York and then back for House in Los Angeles. Alan is heading out to visit in November."
"Visit?" She thought that that it was an odd choice of word. She would have figured that in this crazy multi-country relationship that they would be past the visiting stage. It was something she would need to talk to Alan about later.
"Yes, we are spending a few weeks in LA, then he is going to fly with me to New York for Thanksgiving with my family."
Traci was happy that, after nearly two years, Robert was finally introducing Alan to his family. She knew Alan really had wanted to meet them, even if he hadn't said aloud. Now it looked like he would get his chance. "Oh, Robert, that's great! Will I get me brother back for Christmas?"
Robert stood up and took the plates and silverware, wanting to help out a little and walked to the wood dining table. He set the plates down and worked on arranging the place settings. "He will be back. He is going to be working on a few of the year in review shows, so he needs to be back to prep for them."
"Well, he had better be spending the holiday with me then," she added with a hint of possessiveness to her voice.
"Who says I won't make a special trip to spend more time with Robert?" Alan said, surprising both of them. He stood in the doorway, his eyes red rimmed and tired. His hair was puffy and no longer laid in neat curls. He tried to smile, but his sadness still shone through.
Robert returned the smile, pretending to not notice the emotions behind Alan's. "I want to stay on your sister's good side, by not hogging her brother through the holidays." Despite the tease, his voice was serious.
"I am going to miss the piss out of you." Alan walked over towards Robert and rested his hand on Robert's shoulder. "And tea smells wonderful, sister," he added as an afterthought.
Traci got the hint and excused herself to go wash up before serving the food.
As she left the room, Alan moved to put both hands on Robert's shoulders and was soon pulled into an embrace. "I will miss you, too," Robert whispered.
Alan gripped him tighter and just said nothing, enjoying and soaking in the security and warmth from the embrace. He thought if he wished hard enough, he could sink right into the warmth and never feel sad again. His nose was on the verge of dripping, so he pulled back and fished a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose.
"Not feeling better?"
"Oh, I'll live. Rodger..."
Robert moved in again and kissed Alan on the forehead and then the cheek. "You've had some great times and will always...."
"I know, but it is still hard. What did me sister make for dinner?" Alan changed the subject. He did not want to start to mourn for his cat again already tonight.
"I heard it was your favorite..."
"It better be. I slaved away all day." Traci was standing in the doorway. She shooed them in the direction of the table with a wave of her hands.
Robert blushed, not sure how much she had seen or heard. A part of him wanted to take Alan straight home and get him into bed so he could rest and get better, quicker, while another part, the part that won out, was too polite to leave before dinner.
Alan's smile returned as he ran his hand down Robert's arm and slid their hands together in a loose grip. "Sounds good, and it smells fantastic. Let's eat."
"And be thankful for what we have," Traci added as she watched them sit next to each other at the table, knees touching, happy that they had found their way back together.
15.06 Leaving is hard to do
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Demarc 15.5
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: None
Word Count: 1678
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Robert and Alan have dinner at Traci’s.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Where it all began
Big table of prompts is here
Order of the story is here
Previous story:
Ring Tones
Alan really wished that he was telling the truth about the frisking before dinner. Oh, he wanted to, but Robert wasn't falling for his charm. Alan tried pouting, but Robert just blew him a kiss, then went back to rummaging for a pair of black socks. Deciding to try again that night, Alan went in search of a few good bottles of wine he had been saving, and then went back to the bedroom to watch Robert dress.
"Should I bring tissues?" Alan asked, as they headed out the door to wait for the cab.
"Just stuff some in your pockets for the cab ride. I am sure Traci has some. And besides, there is always toilet paper."
"I am not going to sit at the dinner table with a roll of toilet paper next to me," Alan grumbled as he went to fill his pockets.
***
They arrived fashionably late at 6:40. Robert stood next to Alan and rang the buzzer.
Traci greeted them by giving Robert a warm hug.
"No love for me?"
"Nope." She wasn't one to mince words.
"At least Rodger will appreciate me," Alan sighed and disappeared into the house.
"Rodger?" Robert questioned.
"His cat. Been taking care of the blighter for over 15 years, since Alan used to be gone for such long stretches." She motioned Robert inside and closed the door. "Poor old Rodger is really getting on in his years. He is the only way that I can get regular visits from Alan lately. Don't know what is going to happen when he passes." She led him down the hallway and they found Alan on his knees, petting the cat sprawled across her bed.
"You've been overfeeding him," Alan said, glancing over his shoulder.
"A fat cat is a happy cat. Plus he binges when you aren't with him."
"You've had him since '93."
Robert slowly lowered himself next to Alan, not wanting to upset the cat. "He like strangers?"
Traci smiled. "Dinner in 10, boys." And she left them alone with the cat.
"Here, let him get a good sniff of you," Alan instructed.
Rodger turned his eyes on Robert, blinking slowly as he sniffed the offered hand.
"Probably smell enough like me to have him fooled; his eyesight's not what it used to be."
Rodger gently headbutted Robert's hand, so Robert started to pet him, scratching behind an ear when it was offered.
"Been thinking about getting another, but it feels like I'm being disloyal to the old fellow." Alan folded his arms and rested his head on them. "Plus, it would need looking after when I am off for weeks at a time. Have a feeling that sis would end up with that one, too. Crafty, she is." He cleared his throat and did a high-pitched imitation of her, "Sure! I'll look after him! Just bring him 'round with his things. He can stay as long as he'd like!"
Robert laughed. "You sounded like my 6th Grade school teacher."
"This night is going to shape into a 'pick-on-me' night, won't it?"
Robert smiled and patted the softly purring cat once more before standing. He rubbed his hand through Alan's hair and gave it a little scrub. "I’m going to go help your sister. You can have some quality time with Rodger."
Alan looked up at Robert, his eyes shinning with emotion. He nodded and inhaled through his stuffy nose, the air seeping in through the stuffed nostrils.
Robert stood at the doorway and looked back as Alan talked to the plump grey cat and stroked him gently, talking in hushed tones.
***
"What can I help you with?" Robert asked as he walked into the small tidy white kitchen.
Traci turned around, her bangs sliding across her forehead as she lifted a casserole out of the oven and set it on the counter. "Nothing, honestly." She paused, then turned to smile. "Well, you can keep me company, dear."
Robert gave her a lazy smile and settled on the bar stool. He lifted the edge of the foil covering to take a peek and his hands were quickly snapped with a towel. "Ouch."
"It will get cold if you go lifting the lid," she scolded him playfully.
Robert rubbed his hand for effect. "Well at least tell me what it is. It smells great."
"Oh, one of Alan's favorites. Me homemade mac and cheese with broccoli."
"It smells good." Robert watched her move around the neat kitchen, efficiently cleaning as she assembled the finished up the preparation. He did not see the resemblance physically, but they moved the same and Robert smiled as he watched her, remembering Alan buzzing around his own kitchen.
"He was a right pain a few months back, thanks for giving him back his smile." Traci opened the fridge and just let the words hang in the air.
"Traci?"
She turned around and set a bag of rolls on the counter and stood across from him, "Alan can be a twat. He has a temper and pushes away the people he cares about the most. You came back and Britain will be better for it," she added with a laugh, defusing the serious tone.
"The whole country, wow. Who knew it was..."
Traci laid her hand across Robert's. "I'm serious. Rodger is dying and I'm glad Alan has someone he loves to be here for him. His life is better with you in it. Thank you for going with him."
Robert felt the words clog his throat. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of her hand against his. He opened his eyes as he looked up. "It was not just for Alan. We both needed to answer some questions. Portugal was nice for us to get some things out in the open."
"You guys okay then? I don't want to see me brother all messed up again."
Robert gave her a slight smile. "We are okay. Don't worry."
Traci's face broke into a big smile and she returned to getting dinner completed. “When are you heading back to the states?"
"I leave in two days. First to do a job in New York and then back for House in Los Angeles. Alan is heading out to visit in November."
"Visit?" She thought that that it was an odd choice of word. She would have figured that in this crazy multi-country relationship that they would be past the visiting stage. It was something she would need to talk to Alan about later.
"Yes, we are spending a few weeks in LA, then he is going to fly with me to New York for Thanksgiving with my family."
Traci was happy that, after nearly two years, Robert was finally introducing Alan to his family. She knew Alan really had wanted to meet them, even if he hadn't said aloud. Now it looked like he would get his chance. "Oh, Robert, that's great! Will I get me brother back for Christmas?"
Robert stood up and took the plates and silverware, wanting to help out a little and walked to the wood dining table. He set the plates down and worked on arranging the place settings. "He will be back. He is going to be working on a few of the year in review shows, so he needs to be back to prep for them."
"Well, he had better be spending the holiday with me then," she added with a hint of possessiveness to her voice.
"Who says I won't make a special trip to spend more time with Robert?" Alan said, surprising both of them. He stood in the doorway, his eyes red rimmed and tired. His hair was puffy and no longer laid in neat curls. He tried to smile, but his sadness still shone through.
Robert returned the smile, pretending to not notice the emotions behind Alan's. "I want to stay on your sister's good side, by not hogging her brother through the holidays." Despite the tease, his voice was serious.
"I am going to miss the piss out of you." Alan walked over towards Robert and rested his hand on Robert's shoulder. "And tea smells wonderful, sister," he added as an afterthought.
Traci got the hint and excused herself to go wash up before serving the food.
As she left the room, Alan moved to put both hands on Robert's shoulders and was soon pulled into an embrace. "I will miss you, too," Robert whispered.
Alan gripped him tighter and just said nothing, enjoying and soaking in the security and warmth from the embrace. He thought if he wished hard enough, he could sink right into the warmth and never feel sad again. His nose was on the verge of dripping, so he pulled back and fished a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose.
"Not feeling better?"
"Oh, I'll live. Rodger..."
Robert moved in again and kissed Alan on the forehead and then the cheek. "You've had some great times and will always...."
"I know, but it is still hard. What did me sister make for dinner?" Alan changed the subject. He did not want to start to mourn for his cat again already tonight.
"I heard it was your favorite..."
"It better be. I slaved away all day." Traci was standing in the doorway. She shooed them in the direction of the table with a wave of her hands.
Robert blushed, not sure how much she had seen or heard. A part of him wanted to take Alan straight home and get him into bed so he could rest and get better, quicker, while another part, the part that won out, was too polite to leave before dinner.
Alan's smile returned as he ran his hand down Robert's arm and slid their hands together in a loose grip. "Sounds good, and it smells fantastic. Let's eat."
"And be thankful for what we have," Traci added as she watched them sit next to each other at the table, knees touching, happy that they had found their way back together.
15.06 Leaving is hard to do