I Had to See You Again [Alistair/Callen]

“I had to see you again.”

 

Alistair tugged at his shirt. It was tighter than he was used to, and it exposed his arms. His father insisted on him getting a new look. He didn’t understand what was wrong with his favorite brown jacket. In fact, he loved that jacket. It hung nicely in his closet, and he’d no doubt be returning to it. He looked down at his arms. He was toned from all of the time he spent working out in Moonlight Falls. Not for himself, but in case he needed to fight. And he knew he would need to fight soon. But that wasn’t the issue right now. The issue right now was the pink haired male smirking at him through the doorway. “I see you decided to bring the children.”

 

“I did.” Alistair nodded. “My daughter is planning a wedding, she doesn’t need the headache of watching six kids.”

 

Callen stepped to the side to allow the group in. “Braylen! The neighbors are here, come and greet them.”

 

The kids followed Braylen down the stairs, and Alistair looked around the place. It was pretty modern. He never expected that from Callen. He thought the reckless looking male lived in a tiny apartment, but he had a decent sized abode.

 

“If you have nothing to do, why don’t you stay over?” Callen asked. “You just added four more kids to the mix, we’re going to need more supervision than just me.”

 

“That’s why I’m here.” Alistair nodded.

 

“Ah, I knew you wouldn’t trust the man with the tattoos to watch your grand kids.” Callen was smiling, but Alistair was sure that he saw a hint of sadness, if only for a moment.

 

Alistair smiled. “Oh no. I had to see you again. It was urgent. Dire, really.”

 

“Dire you say?” He walked Alistair into his living room and plopped onto the couch, motioning for the older man to join him. “I don’t know if I’m the right guy to turn to.” He gave Alistair a mischievous grin and held out his arms. “Tattoos, piercings, a heart they say, made of darkness.”

 

“Who’s they?”

 

“The idiots who think they know everything about the world and have never left these walls.” Callen was angry with these people, Alistair could tell. “But anyway, enough about those idiots. I’m more interested in what you said before. You had to see me?”

 

Alistair laughed. “Yeah. I’m told I need real friends.”

 

“And you chose me?”

 

Alistair shrugged. Why not? “You’re a good father,” Alistair said. “That’s all the incentive I need. And I may be an old man, but the tattoos and piercings don’t bother me. I may not understand them, but I don’t care that you have them.”

 

“I can see us being good friends, Al. It’s about damn time I meet someone with some substance in this town.” He kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “Should we hover over the kids like hawks? I don’t usually, but I don’t know if your grand kids are trouble makers.” Seeing the slight tinge of annoyance grow on Alistair’s face, Callen laughed. “I’m kidding, but I can see how protective you are of your family. I can get down with that.”

 

Alistair studied the pink haired male. He was definitely different, and Alistair knew that if he talked to him, he’d find out so much more about the man than what he paraded about. He was looking forward to unraveling the mystery.