FIC: Kiss & Tell (For Want of a Kiss)
Title: Kiss & Tell
Series: For Want of a Kiss
Author: Valerie Vancollie (valeriev84 [at] hotmail.com)
Characters: Don, Alan
Pairings: Don/Robin
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Alan has questions for his eldest about the incident and Don's response to it.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Numb3rs characters, items or situations. I only lay claim to the original aspects of the fic.
"Thanks," Alan said as his son brought in the last dishes from the dining room and grabbed a towel to start drying those he'd already washed.
"No problem," Don replied. "Makes me feel less guilty about eating here so often."
"You know you're always welcome, right?"
"Yeah, still feel I should pitch in sometimes."
"What I wouldn't have given for that attitude twenty years ago," Alan teased.
"Hey, better late than never, right?"
"I suppose."
"I can always stop if it's a problem."
"Oh, funny man," Alan retorted as he put the pan on the rack and frowned as he caught the edge of a bruise peaking out from under the collar of his son's shirt.
He'd missed it earlier as Don had still been wearing his tie, but he'd taken it off just before dinner and that allowed the collar to open a little wider. Concerned, he reached forwards for a better look, wondering if his eldest was hiding another injury from him and Charlie.
"What's this?"
"Dad!" Don exclaimed, twisting away quickly, but not before his father had seen exactly what it was.
"Oh, sorry," Alan apologized, embarrassed as he realized it was a love bite and not something more serious.
"You got water on me," Don complained, not wanting to discuss the marks Robin had left with his father.
"I only caught the edge of it and thought you'd gotten hurt."
"Ah, no, nothing like that."
"Yeah, I got that," Alan stated, a teasing note entering his voice as he watched his eldest squirm. Don never squirmed. "Had fun?"
"Dad!"
"Just asking, there are a few."
"Yeah, well, Robin," Don began before deciding to switch gears. "Charlie told her about that guy at the bar last week."
"Ah," Alan said, taking pity on his son and turning his focus back to the dishes. "About that."
"Oh, not you too! Charlie's still trying to ask me questions about it."
"Well, you have to admit it's a bit unusual."
"No, it's not. I don't see why you guys are so fascinated with it."
"It caught us off-guard and we're just surprised."
"What, you don't think I'd look good to another guy?"
"That's not what I meant," Alan replied, throwing a glare at his son. "I'd just never considered a guy could be looking."
Don sighed in defeat, knowing he wasn't getting out of this. "Fine, what do you want to know?"
"You said it wasn't the first time?"
"No."
"When?"
"When what? The first time?"
"Yeah."
"It was in college, at one of the big frat parties I went to."
"Just like that?"
"He was young and naïve," Don shrugged. "I think he'd been sheltered most of his life and didn't realize the potential danger."
"I see."
"You want the whole list?"
"No," Alan replied, well aware of the sarcasm in the question. "I just... It's a bit of a paradigm shift for me."
"Only in how other people see me, nothing else," Don stated. "Nothing has really changed as far as I'm concerned. I'm still as straight as ever."
"It never, well, you know?"
"Made me wonder? Consider it?" Don queried, pleased his father was now the uncomfortable one.
"Yeah."
"No, not really. I mean it made me pause the first time, I'd never given any thought to how other guys saw me, well at least not in that sense anyway. But did it make me consider it? No."
"Okay."
"Can we change the subject now?" Don questioned hopefully.
"Sure," Alan agreed, smiling. "So, Robin felt the need to mark her territory, did she?"
"Dad!"