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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Travis’ Troubles
Fandom: White Pine original fiction
Pairing: Ethan McDowell/Travis Murphy
Rating: G
Word Count: 505
Summary: Travis is stumped, again, and doesn’t know what to do.
Author’s Note: Written for the Say What challenge at 1_million_words.
“I’m not sure about this,” he said, setting the page aside.
“What do you mean you’re not sure,” Ethan asked, sitting on the edge of Travis’ desk. He picked up the discarded page and glanced at it. “I thought you knew everything. Or, at least, everything about this fictional world you’ve created.”
Travis shrugged. “I thought I did,” he admitted. Turning his chair, he propped his feet in Ethan’s lap, wiggling his toes. “And I always believed that if I didn’t know, I could always make something up, right?”
“Right,” Ethan agreed. “That makes sense to me. It is your world after all.”
“But I can’t,” Travis whined. “I’ve gotten to a point where I know absolutely nothing about what’s going to happen and that makes me worry, E.”
Ethan squeezed Travis’ foot and smiled. “It’ll pass, it always does,” he assured his husband. “Just give it time.”
“I feel like I suddenly know nothing at all,” he sighed.
“Maybe that’s the key,” Ethan said, shifting Travis’ feet to the floor. “Nice socks by the way.”
Travis grinned as he looked at his socks covered in smiling avocados. “Thanks. They were a present from my mother.” He shifted his gaze to Ethan’s face. “But what do you mean by ‘that’s the key’?”
“Go back to the beginning. Read it like it’s something you’ve never seen before. A new book by another author. Maybe it’ll shake something loose in that nutty brain of yours.”
“That’s a good idea,” Travis said. “You really are a smart cookie sometimes.”
“And I’m cute, too,” Ethan laughed. He leaned over and gave Travis a kiss. “Email me a copy of what you have and we can do a buddy read,” he joked.
“Noooo,” Travis groaned, standing up and waving his hands at Travis. “Not on your damn life. And I don’t care how cute you are either.”
“Why not,” Ethan asked. “You’ve given me half-finished manuscripts before. Why not now when you need the most help?”
“Because I knew where I was headed with those others. This one, I’m afraid to show it to anyone until I’ve conquered this issue.”
Ethan shrugged. “Okay, I can understand that. So what are you going to do?”
“I guess read it with new eyes like you suggested. Go from there.”
“Good,” Ethan said. “Make notes and let me see them when you’re done. And before you say anything, I know you don’t want me to see it yet. But, if you can figure out what’s stumping you, then you won’t be as stuck, even if you don’t know where you’re going. Make sense?”
Travis nodded. “It does. What would I do without you, baby?”
“Be a crazy cat lady,” Ethan chuckled, watching Brennan jump onto Travis’ desk and curl up on his laptop.
He reached out and scratched the cat under her chin. “I could do that,” he laughed. “But you’re cuddlier by far.”
“So glad to hear it, Murph,” Ethan laughed. “Now, get back to work. You have a book to finish.”
Fandom: White Pine original fiction
Pairing: Ethan McDowell/Travis Murphy
Rating: G
Word Count: 505
Summary: Travis is stumped, again, and doesn’t know what to do.
Author’s Note: Written for the Say What challenge at 1_million_words.
“I’m not sure about this,” he said, setting the page aside.
“What do you mean you’re not sure,” Ethan asked, sitting on the edge of Travis’ desk. He picked up the discarded page and glanced at it. “I thought you knew everything. Or, at least, everything about this fictional world you’ve created.”
Travis shrugged. “I thought I did,” he admitted. Turning his chair, he propped his feet in Ethan’s lap, wiggling his toes. “And I always believed that if I didn’t know, I could always make something up, right?”
“Right,” Ethan agreed. “That makes sense to me. It is your world after all.”
“But I can’t,” Travis whined. “I’ve gotten to a point where I know absolutely nothing about what’s going to happen and that makes me worry, E.”
Ethan squeezed Travis’ foot and smiled. “It’ll pass, it always does,” he assured his husband. “Just give it time.”
“I feel like I suddenly know nothing at all,” he sighed.
“Maybe that’s the key,” Ethan said, shifting Travis’ feet to the floor. “Nice socks by the way.”
Travis grinned as he looked at his socks covered in smiling avocados. “Thanks. They were a present from my mother.” He shifted his gaze to Ethan’s face. “But what do you mean by ‘that’s the key’?”
“Go back to the beginning. Read it like it’s something you’ve never seen before. A new book by another author. Maybe it’ll shake something loose in that nutty brain of yours.”
“That’s a good idea,” Travis said. “You really are a smart cookie sometimes.”
“And I’m cute, too,” Ethan laughed. He leaned over and gave Travis a kiss. “Email me a copy of what you have and we can do a buddy read,” he joked.
“Noooo,” Travis groaned, standing up and waving his hands at Travis. “Not on your damn life. And I don’t care how cute you are either.”
“Why not,” Ethan asked. “You’ve given me half-finished manuscripts before. Why not now when you need the most help?”
“Because I knew where I was headed with those others. This one, I’m afraid to show it to anyone until I’ve conquered this issue.”
Ethan shrugged. “Okay, I can understand that. So what are you going to do?”
“I guess read it with new eyes like you suggested. Go from there.”
“Good,” Ethan said. “Make notes and let me see them when you’re done. And before you say anything, I know you don’t want me to see it yet. But, if you can figure out what’s stumping you, then you won’t be as stuck, even if you don’t know where you’re going. Make sense?”
Travis nodded. “It does. What would I do without you, baby?”
“Be a crazy cat lady,” Ethan chuckled, watching Brennan jump onto Travis’ desk and curl up on his laptop.
He reached out and scratched the cat under her chin. “I could do that,” he laughed. “But you’re cuddlier by far.”
“So glad to hear it, Murph,” Ethan laughed. “Now, get back to work. You have a book to finish.”
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Date: 2018-07-03 05:59 pm (UTC)The smiling avacodo socks was a nice touch.
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Date: 2018-07-03 06:02 pm (UTC)I actually saw a pair like that at Target this past weekend and my first thought was my girls (they are avocado obsessed) and then Travis. :D