Five + One (White Pine Original Fic)
May. 15th, 2014 12:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asphaltcowgrrlTitle: The Trouble with Strays
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,380
Warnings: Fluffy silliness ahead.
Short Summary: Five + One May Challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
1_million_words My prompt was: #3 Five times (Travis) saved strays, and one time (Ethan) brought a stray home.
Author’s Notes: I have way too much fun with these two. Mainly because I get to make Travis do all the geeky, dorky, goofy things I’d do if I thought I could get away with it.
One: Dog Days
“What are you doing?” Ethan surveyed the trail of dishes strewn from the sink to the edges of the countertop.
“Making dog food,” Travis responded, grabbing a package of leftover chicken out of the refrigerator.
“Dog food? But we don’t have a dog, Trav.” Ethan seated himself at the breakfast bar and watched as Travis turned the messy kitchen into a bona fide disaster.
“Oh, I know we don’t,” he said, dumping the chicken into the last clean bowl in the house. Adding some frozen peas to the bowl, he grabbed a wooden spoon and stirred. “But there’s been this stray hanging around and he looks hungry. And scrawny.”
“You do realize you live in the middle of nowhere, right? Any stray would’ve gotten eaten by something much bigger.”
“Don’t say that,” he said, adding shredded cheese into the mix.
Ethan shook his head, convinced his boyfriend had finally lost his ever loving mind. Standing, he wandered to the back door, looking out into the yard. A smallish, dog-like critter paced along the tree line dividing Travis’ property from the woods behind it. “Where did you last see this stray?”
Travis inclined his head towards the back door. “Out back about ten minutes ago. Why?”
“Uh, well, because that’s not a dog, honey.”
“It’s not?” Travis put his spoon down and carried the bowl to the back door.
“No you idiot, it’s a coyote.” Ethan looked over his shoulder at his lover and smiled. “Still want to feed him?”
Travis looked down at the bowl in his hand and sighed. “Maybe this time? Tomorrow he can dig in the trash like every other coyote in the county.”
Ethan patted Travis on the arm and laughed. “You know I love you, but you have a strange idea of what constitutes a stray.”
“I could’ve sworn that was a dog,” he muttered. “Do me a favor, babe, and put this out on the porch for me?”
“Not on your life, Murphy,” he chuckled. “Do it your damn self.”
Two: Snuggle Bunny
Travis looked at his laptop’s screen, scratching his head. He’d gotten his favorite detective into a tight spot and wasn’t sure how he was going to get him out – alive – this time. Sighing, he stood, grabbing his cup of cold coffee and headed to the kitchen to refresh it. On his way back to his office, he stopped by the window overlooking the front yard, sipping on his fresh cup of java.
“Looks like spring has finally sprung,” he chuckled to the empty room. “Too bad Ethan’s working, it’s a lovely day for a walk in the woods.”
But, unfortunately, Ethan was working. Damn day shifts, got them both off their regular schedules. Shrugging at the futility of fighting it, Travis made to move away from the window when something caught his eye. A little, fuzzy brown head poked out from the bush just below the window, followed by a second, tentative pint-sized face.
“Look at that,” he grinned. “Baby bunnies.”
Captivated, he watched them for a few minutes more as they ventured out from the bush and explored the vast new world that was his front lawn. Inspired, he headed to the kitchen and started rummaging around in the crisper drawer. He had convinced Ethan that they both needed to start eating healthier and thus he found more than what he needed. Pulling the entire drawer out of the refrigerator, he started sorting through what he had.
“Spinach, carrots, kale, assorted green herbs,” he paused and rummaged in the fridge a bit more, coming out with another armful of food. “Broccoli, strawberries, kiwi, and zucchini. That ought to do it.”
“Do what,” Ethan asked from the kitchen entrance. “And what army are you trying to feed.”
Travis grinned. “We have bunnies in our yard.”
“And you’re making them a salad?” He shimmied out of his suit jacket, exposing the gun riding on one hip, his badge on the other.
“Something like that,” he confirmed. “And aren’t you home early?”
“A little,” he said, seating himself on a barstool. “Nothing doing in town and the sheriff decided to take care of some paperwork, so he sent me home.”
“Remind me to kiss him next time I see him,” Travis said, fixating on his rabbit salad again.
“You might want to rethink that,” he advised, knowing how conservative White Pine’s sheriff could be. “Need any help?”
Travis shook his head. “Naw, I think I’ve got all I need. Just need a container to put it in.” He dug in the cabinet below where he stood until he found two plastic containers – one large enough to feed the babies out of and the other to store the leftovers in. “Ah-hah. Now we’re cooking with gas, baby!”
Ethan followed Travis out of the kitchen to the front door. “You sure we’re not going to scare the crap out of the little rodents?”
Cocking his head to the side, Travis glared at him. “That’s no way to talk about those cute widdle baby bunnies. And we might, but we’ll leave the food and come back inside.”
“For once, you’re actually making sense. So, let’s go drop off their lunch and make some of our own.” Ethan rubbed his belly for emphasis.
Travis looked him over, appreciating the long, lean man he was. “Mama sent a pan of tamales home with me this morning.”
“Now that works. Go feed your bunnies.”
He stood in the doorway and watched Travis pile fruits and veggies on their lawn. Pressing the plastic container down into the grass, he made sure the bunnies could get to what was still inside as well. Brushing his hands together, he stood and made his way back to the front door. Cautiously, the little brown bundles of fur sniffed their way towards the feast. Piece by piece, they pulled the bounty out of the container and started munching, happily.
“They are so effing cuuuuuute,” Travis squealed, grinning so hard his face hurt.
“Don’t even think about it, Murph. They’re wild bunnies and need to stay that way.”
“Aw, but –.”
“But nothing, Travis. You want a pet, I’ll take you to the nearest shelter. We are not bringing the woodland residents into our home.”
“Fiiiiiine,” he sighed, resigned to the fact he was not getting a baby bunny today. “How about some tamales?”
“Now, tamales, we can bring into the house,” he teased, kissing Travis on the cheek. “Especially your mama’s.”
“Aw, you say the sweetest things, baby,” Travis joked, kissing his boyfriend’s nose. “Let’s eat.”
Three: Puppy (a real one this time)
Thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump, THUMP, thump.
Ethan sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. “What the hell is Travis up to now?”
Grumbling, he pulled himself out of bed and checked the clock. Eight thirty, which meant he got about two hours’ sleep. Unlike his ever-cheerful lover, he just could not work properly without a suitable amount of sleep. Murphy was not going to be happy to see him in about five minutes.
“Damnit, Travis, what on earth are you doing out – oooph!” His angry tirade was cut short when a squat, muscular creature barreled into his legs at top speed. Ethan staggered back a few steps, trying to regain his balance.
“Ethan,” Travis said, climbing to his feet from the living room floor. “Didn’t expect you to be up so soon.”
“I hadn’t planned on being,” he grumped, accepting a brief kiss from Travis. “But something woke me up. And then ran into me.”
“Ah, yeah, that’d be Buster,” he grinned. “Buster, c’mere you little rugrat!”
At the sound of his name, Buster came stampeding back into the living room, crashing into Travis’ legs at warp speed. Flopping first onto his butt and then sliding onto his side, Buster looked up at Ethan, big brown eyes latched firmly onto his new owner.
“Travis, no,” Ethan whined. “Didn’t we talk about this?”
He looked down at the mixed breed puppy currently chewing on his sneakered foot. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Ethan laughed, running his fingers through his hair, causing the short tufts to stick up randomly. “Come on, with our schedules, can we really handle a puppy?”
“I never leave the house,” he muttered.
“No, and half the time you still don’t get any writing done,” he said more gently. Sitting on the couch, he patted the cushion beside him, inviting Travis to have a seat. “You’d use this pup as an excuse to get even less done, and don’t you dare deny it, Mr. King of Work Avoidance.”
Shaking the pup’s mouth off his foot, Travis took the cushion beside his boyfriend. “You might have a little bit of a point there.” Glancing at Ethan and seeing the look being aimed at him, he tried again. “Okay, so you’re right on point, but still. He’s cute and he has no home, Ethan.”
“As sad as that is, isn’t there a family down the road a bit with two young boys and four acres of land?” He’d never be able to throw a dog out if he had nowhere to go, especially not out in the boonies like they were. The chance he’d get eaten by something much bigger was too great to risk. But if there was a safe place for him to go, he had no issues booting the pup down the street.
Travis’ eyes lit up. “You know what, I think you’re right. The Hubbards have two – no, three, they just had a baby – boys. Jordan, Joshua, and Jacob, I think. Yeah, they might take him.”
Ethan had to stifle a laugh. Parents that gave their kids all the same first initial were asking for trouble. His parents had a hard enough time keeping their kids straight and none of their names were even close. “Good. Give them a call or, if you want, we can take a drive down to see what they have to say.”
“Yeah, going down there might be the best bet. They’re good people.” Travis gave the dog a sad look. “But I’ll miss him.”
“How attached can you be? He’s only been here for a few hours?”
“Er,” Travis stalled. “Uh, maybe because I’ve been feeding him for two weeks now?”
“Oh for the love of all things fuzzy, Travis,” Ethan half-shouted, half-laughed. “You are the worst! It’s a good thing I came along or you’d be the backwoods version of the crazy cat lady and her ninety cats.”
“Yeah,” Travis grinned, a wild smile crossing his face. “I could have bunnies and coyotes and deer and…”
“Skunks and badgers? Really, Murph?” But he wasn’t surprised, to be honest. Travis had a love for everything sweet and innocent, it seemed. And even a few things that were as far from sweet and innocent as could be, himself in particular.
Travis made a face. “Maybe not the skunks. Go get dressed and we’ll take a drive. Okay?”
“Okay, Travis. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Four: Puppy Revisited
“You’ve reached the White Pine Police Station, how may I help you?” Ethan barely stifled a yawn. One of their three officers in residence had taken a few days off to tend to his wife after surgery, leaving him to pick up the extra shifts until he returned.
“Well,” a familiar voice purred over the line, “that all depends on what you’d be willing to offer, detective.”
Chuckling, Ethan leaned back into his chair and let Travis’ voice wrap itself around him. “Not much at the moment, but as soon as I get home… well, we can negotiate.”
“Hmm, I guess I ought to get to work on my list of demands then,” he teased. “But seriously, I wanted to let you know –”
“Oh god, Travis, no! Not another –”
“That I found this cute little puppy out behind the house and –”
“Another puppy?” He was torn between being aggravated and completely irate. “Wait. You’re sure it’s a puppy and not another damn coyote?”
“Hey, the last one really was a puppy, Ethan,” he defended. “Only that first one was a coyote. And of course I’m su –”
Ethan heard the back door open and slide shut. Travis’ feet echoed across the patio’s wooden floor as he made his way across it. Curious, he kept his mouth shut and waited.
“Oh god bless it all to pieces,” Travis swore.
“So,” Ethan said, fighting a laugh and losing. “It is another coyote, eh?”
“Screw you, you jerk,” Travis growled before hanging up.
“You’d think,” Ethan informed the empty station, “that having grown up in this town, he’d know the difference between a puppy and a coyote by now.”
He had to admit, however, that these were the things that kept him hanging around. You just never knew what the hell Murphy would do next.
Five: Doe, a deer
Exiting the hallway and entering the living room, he came across what was rapidly becoming a very familiar sight. Travis stood at the back door, gazing out into the yard. Now that spring had finally arrived, all of the critters the woodlands butting up against his property had to offer made their daily rounds of the Murphy-McDowell residence. Ethan had begun to believe they lived on the outskirts of a zoo with all the animals he’d seen over the last month: squirrels, deer, rabbits, birds of every shape and size, and more.
He was still hoping against hope that Travis was only joking about bears and mountain lions.
“What’s out there today, Murph?” Ethan moved into position behind his lover, placing a fleeting kiss against the back of his neck.
Travis leaned back against him, flashing that irrepressible grin his way. “A fawn,” he said, pointing. “Two, actually, and it looks like their mother has wandered off.”
“She’ll come back,” he assured Travis, knowing where this would lead if he said anything else. Ethan looped an arm around Murphy’s waist, pulling him close.
“How can you be sure?”
What the hell kind of question was that? “Because it’s nature, baby. And nature takes care of itself.”
“Nature won’t take care of those two poor babies out there,” he responded, pulling out of Ethan’s embrace. “What happens if a wolf finds them?”
Shit. There were wolves out here, too? What was he thinking moving to this place anyway? “Well, I guess the wolf gets himself a venison dinner.”
“Oh my god, you just did not say that to me!” Travis stared at him, blue eyes wide.
“Travis,” he began, desperately trying to stifle the laughter he felt bubbling inside him. “I know it’s horrible and awful to think that one of those cute little critters might get munched on by a predator, but that’s how the world works.” He approached his boyfriend again, holding his arms out in a ‘come hug me’ gesture.
Murphy looked out the back door again, sighing. “I know you’re right,” he conceded, stepping into the open circle of Ethan’s waiting arms. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“No, it doesn’t you soft-hearted fool.” Ethan wrapped one arm around Travis’ waist and curled the other around the back of his neck, kissing his cheek. “But it does mean you can’t save all the animals, either. Especially the wild ones. Can we make a deal?”
He pulled back just enough to look down into the brilliant green eyes focused on him. “I guess?”
“If you stop trying to bring all of the forest into our home, we’ll go get you a puppy.”
“How about a kitten?” He asked, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Can I have a kitten?”
“Just as long as it’s not a bobcat, Murph,” Ethan chuckled. It was about the only thing he hadn’t tried to rescue so far. Probably only because he hadn’t seen one yet.
“Deal.”
Six: Kitten Face
It had been the longest night in the history of night shifts as far as Ethan McDowell was concerned. He’d spent more time trying not to fall asleep than he had anything else. Stretching, he stood and walked to the windows overlooking the station’s parking lot. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky and everything below it.
The rain had been coming down for over an hour now and showed no signs of letting up any time soon. Thinking that a bit of a fresh breeze might do him some good, he cracked one window enough to make sure the rain wouldn’t come blowing in before opening it farther. A breath of cool, damp air hit his face, waking him up.
“Ah, just what I needed,” he said to no one.
Deciding that now would be a good time to retrieve his dinner from the refrigerator in their minuscule, makeshift kitchen, he turned left and headed for the kitchen. Something caught his ear, causing him to pause and listen. Unable to decipher it, he moved back towards the window and stood silently. He heard it again, soft and sad coming from outside.
But what the hell was it?
Ethan stepped closer to the window and turned his head so one ear was almost pressed against the screen. There – there it was again. And it sounded an awful lot like – like a meow? Why on earth would a cat be out in this rain? Shaking his head, he listened for another minute to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. When it came again, he knew there was only one thing he could do – go out, find the poor thing and bring it inside.
Donning his jacket, Ethan covered his head with the hood and stepped outside the station. Moving slowly along the front of the building, he watched the ground for any signs of a bedraggled cat. Hearing another meow, he realized it was coming from the bushes at the west corner.
“Kitty,” he called, feeling like an idiot. “C’mere kitty, let’s go inside and get warm.”
A little, tired meow met his waterlogged ears, tugging at heartstrings he didn’t even know he had. Kneeling in a puddle, he looked under each bush until he found what he was looking for. “Oh no,” he breathed, realizing it wasn’t a cat under the bush. It was a kitten – and an itty bitty one at that.
Silently mourning the loss of his favorite suit, Ethan sprawled on his belly, reaching under the bush until he grasped the kitten that was now meowing like the scared animal he probably was. “It’s okay little buddy, we’re gonna go inside, get warmed up, and hopefully find something to feed to you.”
He wiggled the furry bundle out from under the branches and into the chilly, wet night. Ethan stuffed the mewling ball of grey fur into his jacket pocket, using a hand to hold it against his body as he walked. Once back inside of the station, he pulled the kitten out of his hiding place and set him on the receptionist’s desk, his tiny feline body shivering in the cool air. Remembering the pile of towels in the storage closet used for washing the town’s lone police cruiser, Ethan dashed off and returned with an armful.
After a bit of a rough dry and fluff, the kitten seemed happier, kneading the towels with his miniature paws. A soft purring rose from his new little friend and he grinned, running a hand over the kitten’s head. “You’re cute,” he told him, “I know someone will adopt you right away.”
Someone like Travis, the voice in his head told him.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered, watching the kitten settle into the mound of towels. Reaching for the phone, he dialed a number almost as familiar as his own.
“It’s the middle of the fucking night, this better be important,” the voice growled.
“Not like you weren’t still up,” Ethan teased.
“Point, but the ringing of the phone at this hour never brings good news,” he said.
“Agreed, but tonight is different.” A smile began curling the corners of his mouth.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
He could hear the curiosity in Travis’ voice. “Remember that kitten I promised you? I think I might have found one for you…”
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,380
Warnings: Fluffy silliness ahead.
Short Summary: Five + One May Challenge at
1_million_words My prompt was: #3 Five times (Travis) saved strays, and one time (Ethan) brought a stray home.Author’s Notes: I have way too much fun with these two. Mainly because I get to make Travis do all the geeky, dorky, goofy things I’d do if I thought I could get away with it.
One: Dog Days
“What are you doing?” Ethan surveyed the trail of dishes strewn from the sink to the edges of the countertop.
“Making dog food,” Travis responded, grabbing a package of leftover chicken out of the refrigerator.
“Dog food? But we don’t have a dog, Trav.” Ethan seated himself at the breakfast bar and watched as Travis turned the messy kitchen into a bona fide disaster.
“Oh, I know we don’t,” he said, dumping the chicken into the last clean bowl in the house. Adding some frozen peas to the bowl, he grabbed a wooden spoon and stirred. “But there’s been this stray hanging around and he looks hungry. And scrawny.”
“You do realize you live in the middle of nowhere, right? Any stray would’ve gotten eaten by something much bigger.”
“Don’t say that,” he said, adding shredded cheese into the mix.
Ethan shook his head, convinced his boyfriend had finally lost his ever loving mind. Standing, he wandered to the back door, looking out into the yard. A smallish, dog-like critter paced along the tree line dividing Travis’ property from the woods behind it. “Where did you last see this stray?”
Travis inclined his head towards the back door. “Out back about ten minutes ago. Why?”
“Uh, well, because that’s not a dog, honey.”
“It’s not?” Travis put his spoon down and carried the bowl to the back door.
“No you idiot, it’s a coyote.” Ethan looked over his shoulder at his lover and smiled. “Still want to feed him?”
Travis looked down at the bowl in his hand and sighed. “Maybe this time? Tomorrow he can dig in the trash like every other coyote in the county.”
Ethan patted Travis on the arm and laughed. “You know I love you, but you have a strange idea of what constitutes a stray.”
“I could’ve sworn that was a dog,” he muttered. “Do me a favor, babe, and put this out on the porch for me?”
“Not on your life, Murphy,” he chuckled. “Do it your damn self.”
Two: Snuggle Bunny
Travis looked at his laptop’s screen, scratching his head. He’d gotten his favorite detective into a tight spot and wasn’t sure how he was going to get him out – alive – this time. Sighing, he stood, grabbing his cup of cold coffee and headed to the kitchen to refresh it. On his way back to his office, he stopped by the window overlooking the front yard, sipping on his fresh cup of java.
“Looks like spring has finally sprung,” he chuckled to the empty room. “Too bad Ethan’s working, it’s a lovely day for a walk in the woods.”
But, unfortunately, Ethan was working. Damn day shifts, got them both off their regular schedules. Shrugging at the futility of fighting it, Travis made to move away from the window when something caught his eye. A little, fuzzy brown head poked out from the bush just below the window, followed by a second, tentative pint-sized face.
“Look at that,” he grinned. “Baby bunnies.”
Captivated, he watched them for a few minutes more as they ventured out from the bush and explored the vast new world that was his front lawn. Inspired, he headed to the kitchen and started rummaging around in the crisper drawer. He had convinced Ethan that they both needed to start eating healthier and thus he found more than what he needed. Pulling the entire drawer out of the refrigerator, he started sorting through what he had.
“Spinach, carrots, kale, assorted green herbs,” he paused and rummaged in the fridge a bit more, coming out with another armful of food. “Broccoli, strawberries, kiwi, and zucchini. That ought to do it.”
“Do what,” Ethan asked from the kitchen entrance. “And what army are you trying to feed.”
Travis grinned. “We have bunnies in our yard.”
“And you’re making them a salad?” He shimmied out of his suit jacket, exposing the gun riding on one hip, his badge on the other.
“Something like that,” he confirmed. “And aren’t you home early?”
“A little,” he said, seating himself on a barstool. “Nothing doing in town and the sheriff decided to take care of some paperwork, so he sent me home.”
“Remind me to kiss him next time I see him,” Travis said, fixating on his rabbit salad again.
“You might want to rethink that,” he advised, knowing how conservative White Pine’s sheriff could be. “Need any help?”
Travis shook his head. “Naw, I think I’ve got all I need. Just need a container to put it in.” He dug in the cabinet below where he stood until he found two plastic containers – one large enough to feed the babies out of and the other to store the leftovers in. “Ah-hah. Now we’re cooking with gas, baby!”
Ethan followed Travis out of the kitchen to the front door. “You sure we’re not going to scare the crap out of the little rodents?”
Cocking his head to the side, Travis glared at him. “That’s no way to talk about those cute widdle baby bunnies. And we might, but we’ll leave the food and come back inside.”
“For once, you’re actually making sense. So, let’s go drop off their lunch and make some of our own.” Ethan rubbed his belly for emphasis.
Travis looked him over, appreciating the long, lean man he was. “Mama sent a pan of tamales home with me this morning.”
“Now that works. Go feed your bunnies.”
He stood in the doorway and watched Travis pile fruits and veggies on their lawn. Pressing the plastic container down into the grass, he made sure the bunnies could get to what was still inside as well. Brushing his hands together, he stood and made his way back to the front door. Cautiously, the little brown bundles of fur sniffed their way towards the feast. Piece by piece, they pulled the bounty out of the container and started munching, happily.
“They are so effing cuuuuuute,” Travis squealed, grinning so hard his face hurt.
“Don’t even think about it, Murph. They’re wild bunnies and need to stay that way.”
“Aw, but –.”
“But nothing, Travis. You want a pet, I’ll take you to the nearest shelter. We are not bringing the woodland residents into our home.”
“Fiiiiiine,” he sighed, resigned to the fact he was not getting a baby bunny today. “How about some tamales?”
“Now, tamales, we can bring into the house,” he teased, kissing Travis on the cheek. “Especially your mama’s.”
“Aw, you say the sweetest things, baby,” Travis joked, kissing his boyfriend’s nose. “Let’s eat.”
Three: Puppy (a real one this time)
Thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump, THUMP, thump.
Ethan sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. “What the hell is Travis up to now?”
Grumbling, he pulled himself out of bed and checked the clock. Eight thirty, which meant he got about two hours’ sleep. Unlike his ever-cheerful lover, he just could not work properly without a suitable amount of sleep. Murphy was not going to be happy to see him in about five minutes.
“Damnit, Travis, what on earth are you doing out – oooph!” His angry tirade was cut short when a squat, muscular creature barreled into his legs at top speed. Ethan staggered back a few steps, trying to regain his balance.
“Ethan,” Travis said, climbing to his feet from the living room floor. “Didn’t expect you to be up so soon.”
“I hadn’t planned on being,” he grumped, accepting a brief kiss from Travis. “But something woke me up. And then ran into me.”
“Ah, yeah, that’d be Buster,” he grinned. “Buster, c’mere you little rugrat!”
At the sound of his name, Buster came stampeding back into the living room, crashing into Travis’ legs at warp speed. Flopping first onto his butt and then sliding onto his side, Buster looked up at Ethan, big brown eyes latched firmly onto his new owner.
“Travis, no,” Ethan whined. “Didn’t we talk about this?”
He looked down at the mixed breed puppy currently chewing on his sneakered foot. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Ethan laughed, running his fingers through his hair, causing the short tufts to stick up randomly. “Come on, with our schedules, can we really handle a puppy?”
“I never leave the house,” he muttered.
“No, and half the time you still don’t get any writing done,” he said more gently. Sitting on the couch, he patted the cushion beside him, inviting Travis to have a seat. “You’d use this pup as an excuse to get even less done, and don’t you dare deny it, Mr. King of Work Avoidance.”
Shaking the pup’s mouth off his foot, Travis took the cushion beside his boyfriend. “You might have a little bit of a point there.” Glancing at Ethan and seeing the look being aimed at him, he tried again. “Okay, so you’re right on point, but still. He’s cute and he has no home, Ethan.”
“As sad as that is, isn’t there a family down the road a bit with two young boys and four acres of land?” He’d never be able to throw a dog out if he had nowhere to go, especially not out in the boonies like they were. The chance he’d get eaten by something much bigger was too great to risk. But if there was a safe place for him to go, he had no issues booting the pup down the street.
Travis’ eyes lit up. “You know what, I think you’re right. The Hubbards have two – no, three, they just had a baby – boys. Jordan, Joshua, and Jacob, I think. Yeah, they might take him.”
Ethan had to stifle a laugh. Parents that gave their kids all the same first initial were asking for trouble. His parents had a hard enough time keeping their kids straight and none of their names were even close. “Good. Give them a call or, if you want, we can take a drive down to see what they have to say.”
“Yeah, going down there might be the best bet. They’re good people.” Travis gave the dog a sad look. “But I’ll miss him.”
“How attached can you be? He’s only been here for a few hours?”
“Er,” Travis stalled. “Uh, maybe because I’ve been feeding him for two weeks now?”
“Oh for the love of all things fuzzy, Travis,” Ethan half-shouted, half-laughed. “You are the worst! It’s a good thing I came along or you’d be the backwoods version of the crazy cat lady and her ninety cats.”
“Yeah,” Travis grinned, a wild smile crossing his face. “I could have bunnies and coyotes and deer and…”
“Skunks and badgers? Really, Murph?” But he wasn’t surprised, to be honest. Travis had a love for everything sweet and innocent, it seemed. And even a few things that were as far from sweet and innocent as could be, himself in particular.
Travis made a face. “Maybe not the skunks. Go get dressed and we’ll take a drive. Okay?”
“Okay, Travis. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Four: Puppy Revisited
“You’ve reached the White Pine Police Station, how may I help you?” Ethan barely stifled a yawn. One of their three officers in residence had taken a few days off to tend to his wife after surgery, leaving him to pick up the extra shifts until he returned.
“Well,” a familiar voice purred over the line, “that all depends on what you’d be willing to offer, detective.”
Chuckling, Ethan leaned back into his chair and let Travis’ voice wrap itself around him. “Not much at the moment, but as soon as I get home… well, we can negotiate.”
“Hmm, I guess I ought to get to work on my list of demands then,” he teased. “But seriously, I wanted to let you know –”
“Oh god, Travis, no! Not another –”
“That I found this cute little puppy out behind the house and –”
“Another puppy?” He was torn between being aggravated and completely irate. “Wait. You’re sure it’s a puppy and not another damn coyote?”
“Hey, the last one really was a puppy, Ethan,” he defended. “Only that first one was a coyote. And of course I’m su –”
Ethan heard the back door open and slide shut. Travis’ feet echoed across the patio’s wooden floor as he made his way across it. Curious, he kept his mouth shut and waited.
“Oh god bless it all to pieces,” Travis swore.
“So,” Ethan said, fighting a laugh and losing. “It is another coyote, eh?”
“Screw you, you jerk,” Travis growled before hanging up.
“You’d think,” Ethan informed the empty station, “that having grown up in this town, he’d know the difference between a puppy and a coyote by now.”
He had to admit, however, that these were the things that kept him hanging around. You just never knew what the hell Murphy would do next.
Five: Doe, a deer
Exiting the hallway and entering the living room, he came across what was rapidly becoming a very familiar sight. Travis stood at the back door, gazing out into the yard. Now that spring had finally arrived, all of the critters the woodlands butting up against his property had to offer made their daily rounds of the Murphy-McDowell residence. Ethan had begun to believe they lived on the outskirts of a zoo with all the animals he’d seen over the last month: squirrels, deer, rabbits, birds of every shape and size, and more.
He was still hoping against hope that Travis was only joking about bears and mountain lions.
“What’s out there today, Murph?” Ethan moved into position behind his lover, placing a fleeting kiss against the back of his neck.
Travis leaned back against him, flashing that irrepressible grin his way. “A fawn,” he said, pointing. “Two, actually, and it looks like their mother has wandered off.”
“She’ll come back,” he assured Travis, knowing where this would lead if he said anything else. Ethan looped an arm around Murphy’s waist, pulling him close.
“How can you be sure?”
What the hell kind of question was that? “Because it’s nature, baby. And nature takes care of itself.”
“Nature won’t take care of those two poor babies out there,” he responded, pulling out of Ethan’s embrace. “What happens if a wolf finds them?”
Shit. There were wolves out here, too? What was he thinking moving to this place anyway? “Well, I guess the wolf gets himself a venison dinner.”
“Oh my god, you just did not say that to me!” Travis stared at him, blue eyes wide.
“Travis,” he began, desperately trying to stifle the laughter he felt bubbling inside him. “I know it’s horrible and awful to think that one of those cute little critters might get munched on by a predator, but that’s how the world works.” He approached his boyfriend again, holding his arms out in a ‘come hug me’ gesture.
Murphy looked out the back door again, sighing. “I know you’re right,” he conceded, stepping into the open circle of Ethan’s waiting arms. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“No, it doesn’t you soft-hearted fool.” Ethan wrapped one arm around Travis’ waist and curled the other around the back of his neck, kissing his cheek. “But it does mean you can’t save all the animals, either. Especially the wild ones. Can we make a deal?”
He pulled back just enough to look down into the brilliant green eyes focused on him. “I guess?”
“If you stop trying to bring all of the forest into our home, we’ll go get you a puppy.”
“How about a kitten?” He asked, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Can I have a kitten?”
“Just as long as it’s not a bobcat, Murph,” Ethan chuckled. It was about the only thing he hadn’t tried to rescue so far. Probably only because he hadn’t seen one yet.
“Deal.”
Six: Kitten Face
It had been the longest night in the history of night shifts as far as Ethan McDowell was concerned. He’d spent more time trying not to fall asleep than he had anything else. Stretching, he stood and walked to the windows overlooking the station’s parking lot. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky and everything below it.
The rain had been coming down for over an hour now and showed no signs of letting up any time soon. Thinking that a bit of a fresh breeze might do him some good, he cracked one window enough to make sure the rain wouldn’t come blowing in before opening it farther. A breath of cool, damp air hit his face, waking him up.
“Ah, just what I needed,” he said to no one.
Deciding that now would be a good time to retrieve his dinner from the refrigerator in their minuscule, makeshift kitchen, he turned left and headed for the kitchen. Something caught his ear, causing him to pause and listen. Unable to decipher it, he moved back towards the window and stood silently. He heard it again, soft and sad coming from outside.
But what the hell was it?
Ethan stepped closer to the window and turned his head so one ear was almost pressed against the screen. There – there it was again. And it sounded an awful lot like – like a meow? Why on earth would a cat be out in this rain? Shaking his head, he listened for another minute to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. When it came again, he knew there was only one thing he could do – go out, find the poor thing and bring it inside.
Donning his jacket, Ethan covered his head with the hood and stepped outside the station. Moving slowly along the front of the building, he watched the ground for any signs of a bedraggled cat. Hearing another meow, he realized it was coming from the bushes at the west corner.
“Kitty,” he called, feeling like an idiot. “C’mere kitty, let’s go inside and get warm.”
A little, tired meow met his waterlogged ears, tugging at heartstrings he didn’t even know he had. Kneeling in a puddle, he looked under each bush until he found what he was looking for. “Oh no,” he breathed, realizing it wasn’t a cat under the bush. It was a kitten – and an itty bitty one at that.
Silently mourning the loss of his favorite suit, Ethan sprawled on his belly, reaching under the bush until he grasped the kitten that was now meowing like the scared animal he probably was. “It’s okay little buddy, we’re gonna go inside, get warmed up, and hopefully find something to feed to you.”
He wiggled the furry bundle out from under the branches and into the chilly, wet night. Ethan stuffed the mewling ball of grey fur into his jacket pocket, using a hand to hold it against his body as he walked. Once back inside of the station, he pulled the kitten out of his hiding place and set him on the receptionist’s desk, his tiny feline body shivering in the cool air. Remembering the pile of towels in the storage closet used for washing the town’s lone police cruiser, Ethan dashed off and returned with an armful.
After a bit of a rough dry and fluff, the kitten seemed happier, kneading the towels with his miniature paws. A soft purring rose from his new little friend and he grinned, running a hand over the kitten’s head. “You’re cute,” he told him, “I know someone will adopt you right away.”
Someone like Travis, the voice in his head told him.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered, watching the kitten settle into the mound of towels. Reaching for the phone, he dialed a number almost as familiar as his own.
“It’s the middle of the fucking night, this better be important,” the voice growled.
“Not like you weren’t still up,” Ethan teased.
“Point, but the ringing of the phone at this hour never brings good news,” he said.
“Agreed, but tonight is different.” A smile began curling the corners of his mouth.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
He could hear the curiosity in Travis’ voice. “Remember that kitten I promised you? I think I might have found one for you…”
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Date: 2014-05-15 10:42 pm (UTC)Would you like a reward? Written or graphic?
Let us know. And congratulations!!!
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Date: 2014-05-16 04:40 pm (UTC)I responded to the reward stuff on the comm, but thank you again.
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Date: 2014-05-29 11:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-30 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-01 08:56 am (UTC)