Title: Salt

Author: mispel

E-mail: mispel@email.com

Rating: PG

Summary: Seth's Dad has some questions about his relationship with Ryan.

Spoilers: none

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Feedback: Feedback is very much appreciated.

Salt

It started like this.

"Are you and Ryan ... sleeping together?"

Just like that. My Dad just blurted it out. Or stammered it out. A sort of a stammered it out, blurted it out combination.

So my brain did some cartwheels. I made some noises. No actual words, or even sounds. Then:

"Why does everyone think I'm gay?"

Priceless, huh.

"Everyone thinks you're gay?"

My Dad made his eyebrows shoot way up. And you know that's a feat of superhuman proportions.

"No. Just jocks still in the closet and projecting. Dad, you have something to tell me?"

I joke. But he is completely serious.

"I do. I, and your Mom too, will support you in whatever..."

I have to put a stop to that.

"I know. Thanks. You are both lovely people."

And they are. And they would. But...

"I'm not gay, Dad."

He doesn't look like he believes me. I must work on my delivery. I have a feeling I'll need to perfect that line for future use.

"OK. It's just that I saw you and Ryan in his bed..."

What? When? What?

"When? Oh, we were watching TV. We fell asleep. Dad!"

I don't even know what we were watching. I think we just flipped channels till we conked out. Nothing gay about that.

"And I guess you fell asleep on the sofa, too. With your head on his shoulder. And your arm kind of..."

He threw his arm around to show me. He sees everything. Not that there is anything to see.

"Yeah! My head and my arm just fell over. It was a sleep thing, not a gay thing."

OK. That was kind of embarrassing. Ryan looking down at me with like two inches of space separating our noses. And Ryan has a big nose. I'm just saying.

"It looked kind of intimate."

It was not. Waking up with this big face - with this big hound-dog look on it - staring at you. It's disorienting.

"Choose a different word, dad."

"Close?"

I already said it was close. Ryan looked kind of amused. I was all deer in the headlights. It was confusing.

"Maybe physically close. I don't mean...Is there anything I can say right now that won't go into the Seth is Gay evidence locker?"

He had this look on his face, filled with all sorts of not believing.

"I am not judging you."

I sigh.

"Dad. Aside form the aforementioned I'm not gay reasons. Do you remember pretty much adopting the guy, thereby effectively making him my brother?"

Aha! The lawyer speak got him. He had this look on his face and he nodded. He looked kind of apologetic. Like he had salted my game.

The end