Title: Mint Chocolate Chip
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Brendan Block
Fandom: Doctor Who/Secret Smile
Rating: PG-13
Table: slash_me_twice
Prompt: 97, Ice Cream
Warning: past non-con.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Brendan Block, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

"What's your favorite flavour of ice cream?" Brendan asked the Doctor idly as they strolled along a London street, both of them eating the ice cream cones they'd just gotten at a corner shop. "I think I'd have to pick chocolate. It's always been my favorite."

"I don't know what mine would be, love," the Doctor said with a smile, shaking his head as he licked at the sweet ice cream. "I like so many different flavors -- but you know that I've always had a soft spot for banana. So that would have to be a favorite."

"I didn't ask for a favorite," Brendan corrected him, waggling an admonitory finger at the Time Lord. "I asked you for your absolute favorite ice cream. But if you can't pick one, I understand. There are so many different flavours to choose from."

"I would still choose banana," said the Doctor firmly, licking at his ice cream again. "I've always had a partiality for it, especially since I've been in this body. So I suppose that would be my favourite flavour. It's a bit more exotic than chocolate!"

"I like strawberry, too!" Brendan said with a laugh. "And butter pecan, and rocky road ...." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to the Doctor with his brows raised. "If I was a flavour of ice cream, what would I be?"

The Doctor's dark eyes widened at the question; clearly, this was something he hadn't expected to be asked. He didn't answer for several long moments; he seemed to be deep in thought, trying to formulate some sort of answer to his boyfriend's question.

"I don't know just what flavour you would be," he said, his words coming out slowly, as if he was thinking about them before he spoke. "You could be different flavours at different times. Exotic, or comforting .... or exciting and passionate ...."

Brendan couldn't help laughing at the Doctor's words. "Do you see me as being all that different?" he asked, wondering if this explained how his lover truly felt about him. "Tell me what some of those flavours would be. I'm interested to know how you see me."

"Well .... I was envisioning more the situations that you and I have been in, rather than you yourself," the Doctor explained, his cheeks pinkening a bit. "There have been some points when I could definitely say you've been more rocky road than any other flavour."

Brendan nodded, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips. "I can agree with that, especially lately. Go on. What other flavors do you think I've been?" The smile grew as he waited; it was obvious that he was truly interested in what the Doctor had to say.

"I can't think of any specific flavours right now," the Doctor finally said, his blush deepening. "But there's one thing I can definitely say about us -- and about you yourself, Brendan. I would never, never, describe you as being vanilla in any way."

"Thank you for that, love!" Brendan laughed, reaching out to slide an arm around the Doctor's waist and pull the Time Lord close against him. "I'd take offense at being called vanilla. I know that we haven't been experimental lately, but that'll come back to us, in time."

"You couldn't be vanilla if you tried!" the Doctor said with a laugh, his good humor coming to the fore. "I've had vanilla lovers before -- and while they were good people, and I enjoyed being with them, no one ever gave me the rush of passion that you do, Brendan."

"That's good to know, sweetheart," Brendan answered, his voice soft and husky. "I was a bit worried that after everything we've been through, I might have gotten too .... well, too tame for you. We just have to work our way back to where we were before, Doctor."

"I don't doubt for a moment that we will," the Doctor answered, raising his free hand, the one that wasn't holding his ice cream, to caress Brendan's cheek. "And now, I have a question for you. What flavor of ice cream would I be, hmmm?"

Brendan's brow furrowed as he considered the question, but only for a moment. His expression cleared as he laughed, looking directly into the Doctor's eyes as he answered the question in a voice that was soft and for the other man's ears only, the tone firm and strong.

"You would be mint chocolate chip, Brendan. Without a doubt." The Doctor nodded, smiling as though he was pleased with his choice of flavors for his lover. "I can't imagine you as any other ice cream flavor. Yes, that one fits you perfectly."

"And why do you think that, love?" Brendan asked, brows raised, his curiosity aroused. "I've often thought of myself as certain ice cream flavours, but never mint chocolate chip. I'd never even considered that one. Why do you think it fits me so well?"

"Because of how mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes," said the Doctor promptly, a slow smile starting to spread over his handsome features. "Sweet, and minty, and fresh. That's you, love. That's you all over. I've known that from our first meeting."

"Really?" Brendan couldn't help but laugh at the Doctor's assessment of him. "You knew right from the first, before you even got to know me at all, that I was sweet and yet fresh? And minty, too?" he added, his tone teasing. "That's a lot to know at the first moment."

"Not only that," said the Doctor, warming to his subject. "But you fit mint chocolate chip, Brendan. You're light on the surface, all smiles and a friendly demeanor when you first meet someone. But you have secret, dark depths to you."

"And you think mint chocolate chip ice cream has those depths?" Brendan asked, still smiling. He tilted his head to the side, considering. "I suppose you're right, at that. The chocolate chips give it a depth that other flavors don't really have."

"You have such dark depths to you, Brendan," the Doctor said, his voice softening, looking directly into his lover's eyes. "I know that. I've known it from the first. And I've never been frightened of that darkness. In fact, it's always rather intrigued me."

"I've been trying to put that darkness behind me," Brendan said softly, keeping his gaze riveted on the Time Lord's face. "And I've succeeded. Being with you has changed me, Doctor. I might still have those dark depths -- but I don't give in to them any more."

"I'm glad you don't, love," the Doctor told him with a smile, licking at his ice cream cone again. "And now that we've got those questions answered, what do you say that we finish our ice cream and make our way to the museum that we were on our way to tour?"

Brendan nodded, following the Doctor's lead and eating more of his ice cream. The two men made their way down the sidewalk, still holding hands, others turning to look at them with mixed glances of envy and desire as they walked past.

***