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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Candy Conversations
Fandom: White Pine Original Fiction
Pairing: Ethan McDowell/Travis Murphy
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,040
Summary: Travis is stumped with his story and instead of writing, he’s leaving Ethan messages via Valentine’s candy.
Author’s Note: I meant to have this finished in time for Valentine’s Day and I failed. Written for the Slow Sated Sunday challenge at 1_million_words.
Ethan paused by where he’d left his badge and wallet. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Nope, it was still there. Leaning over, he picked up the small candy heart that was resting on top of his official White Pine Police Department badge and smiled. Hug Me. It had to be Travis, no one else would be this goofy.
“Murph,” he said, leaning against the open doorway leading to Travis’ office. “I’m assuming you’re responsible for this?” He held up the candy, words facing outwards.
“What?” Travis looked up from where he’d been playing a game of Best Fiends and squinted. “Oh, yeah, my mama gave me a box of those things and I thought I’d leave you a little love note, so to speak.”
“It’s appreciated,” Ethan said, moving into the office and wrapping his arms around his husband, obeying the word of the candy. “But aren’t you supposed to be writing?”
“I am,” he said, turning back to his game. “But I’ve almost caught the last bandit slug.”
“Bandit slug? Wait, never mind, I really don’t want to know.”
Travis turned back to him and grinned. “They’re really cute though. They wear cowboy hats and have bandanas tied around their faces.”
Despite himself, Ethan laughed. “Oh-kay, Murphy. Catch your slugs and then get to work. I can’t deal with you when you’re behind on your work.”
Turning back to his game, Travis flipped Ethan off.
“That’s not going to get your book written either, baby,” Ethan teased. “But at least it’s better than video games.”
“Says you,” Travis joked. “Yes! Nailed that little bastard.”
Ethan sighed. “I’m going to work. You get writing.”
It had been one long, boring ass night and Ethan was feeling every minute of it by the time he pulled into Travis’ drive. No matter how long they lived together, this would always be Travis’ house, not his or theirs. Not that he felt unwelcome, it was exactly the opposite – he was more at home here than he’d ever been anywhere. But the thought of thinking of the old place as anything but Travis’ seemed like sacrilege.
He let himself into the house and felt the long night slide right off his shoulders. Digging into his pocket, he grabbed his wallet and unclipped his badge from his belt, hand hovering over where he generally left them on the sideboard.
“Travis Murphy,” he groaned. “I get the feeling you have not been working.”
Amused, if a bit annoyed, Ethan grabbed the three candy hearts – I love you, Miss Me, and Kiss Kiss – and popped them into his mouth. He knew he was destroying evidence, but he needed the sugar until he could get a cup of java into him.
“Travis,” he said, poking his head into his husband’s office. “I’m guessing by the pile of candy on the sideboard that you haven’t made any progress?”
Murphy sighed and shook his head. “No, and I don’t think I ever will.”
Ethan stepped into the small room and pulled the spare chair up beside Travis. “Why? What’s going on? Let me know how I can help.”
“Not sure that you can,” Travis said flicking one of the trinkets by his desk with a finger. “My publisher thinks my detective needs a romantic interest.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard for you,” he said. “You told me once that he’s a lot like I am, so write him a boyfriend that’s like you.”
Travis gave him a sad look. “I wish it were that easy,” he said. “My publisher specified a female love interest.”
“Oh,” Ethan said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, oh,” Travis laughed. “What in the actual hell do I know about women?”
“More than I do, I’d bet,” Ethan laughed.
“Yeah, but you have two sisters, buster, that’s more than me.”
“True, but I never dated either of my sisters, Murph.”
Travis grinned up at Ethan. “Weirdo.”
“I can live with that,” Ethan said. “But these are still mysteries, right? No sex scenes are expected are they?”
Travis shook his head. “My publisher actually warned me against getting too graphic. The demographic that’s buying my books isn’t one to be interested in too much romance or sex.”
“So why push for a romantic interest?”
“I have no damn idea,” Travis laughed. “But my agent said something about my detective being too much of a hardass and that he needed to soften up some.”
“So you foist a woman upon him,” Ethan said, sarcasm dripping off his words. “Makes no sense to me.”
“Me either,” Travis sighed. “But I have to do it.”
“I think you should offer your publisher an alternative solution.”
“And that would be?” Travis leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
“Tell them you’ll give your detective a female companion, a consultant or a uniformed officer to smooth his edges. But you won’t agree to giving him a girlfriend.” Ethan scratched the back of his neck and frowned. “If they give you any crap, tell them you have no idea how to write a girlfriend because you’ve never had one. Who knows, maybe they’ll let you give him a boyfriend.”
“You are brilliant,” Travis said, standing and kissing Ethan on the mouth. He turned towards his desk and rustled around in the bag of candy he’d stashed by his monitor. “Here,” he said, putting a candy heart in Ethan’s hand.
Ethan looked down and snorted. “Marry me,” he said. “I think you’re too late with that one.”
“Hey,” Travis said, sitting back down at his computer, eager to send the query off to his publisher. “This is Utah. There was a time when it was legal to have more than one spouse.”
Ethan cackled. “Not sure they would have approved of you having several husbands, Travis. Wives, sure, but not husbands.”
“What did they know anyway,” Travis joked. “Seriously though, thanks for the help E. I’m going to send my agent and my publisher an email right now. Want to put my mama’s enchiladas in the oven so we can have a meal before we head off to bed?”
“If your mother brought by enchiladas, the answer is yes. See you in ten minutes?”
“Nine if I can swing it.”
Fandom: White Pine Original Fiction
Pairing: Ethan McDowell/Travis Murphy
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,040
Summary: Travis is stumped with his story and instead of writing, he’s leaving Ethan messages via Valentine’s candy.
Author’s Note: I meant to have this finished in time for Valentine’s Day and I failed. Written for the Slow Sated Sunday challenge at 1_million_words.
Ethan paused by where he’d left his badge and wallet. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Nope, it was still there. Leaning over, he picked up the small candy heart that was resting on top of his official White Pine Police Department badge and smiled. Hug Me. It had to be Travis, no one else would be this goofy.
“Murph,” he said, leaning against the open doorway leading to Travis’ office. “I’m assuming you’re responsible for this?” He held up the candy, words facing outwards.
“What?” Travis looked up from where he’d been playing a game of Best Fiends and squinted. “Oh, yeah, my mama gave me a box of those things and I thought I’d leave you a little love note, so to speak.”
“It’s appreciated,” Ethan said, moving into the office and wrapping his arms around his husband, obeying the word of the candy. “But aren’t you supposed to be writing?”
“I am,” he said, turning back to his game. “But I’ve almost caught the last bandit slug.”
“Bandit slug? Wait, never mind, I really don’t want to know.”
Travis turned back to him and grinned. “They’re really cute though. They wear cowboy hats and have bandanas tied around their faces.”
Despite himself, Ethan laughed. “Oh-kay, Murphy. Catch your slugs and then get to work. I can’t deal with you when you’re behind on your work.”
Turning back to his game, Travis flipped Ethan off.
“That’s not going to get your book written either, baby,” Ethan teased. “But at least it’s better than video games.”
“Says you,” Travis joked. “Yes! Nailed that little bastard.”
Ethan sighed. “I’m going to work. You get writing.”
It had been one long, boring ass night and Ethan was feeling every minute of it by the time he pulled into Travis’ drive. No matter how long they lived together, this would always be Travis’ house, not his or theirs. Not that he felt unwelcome, it was exactly the opposite – he was more at home here than he’d ever been anywhere. But the thought of thinking of the old place as anything but Travis’ seemed like sacrilege.
He let himself into the house and felt the long night slide right off his shoulders. Digging into his pocket, he grabbed his wallet and unclipped his badge from his belt, hand hovering over where he generally left them on the sideboard.
“Travis Murphy,” he groaned. “I get the feeling you have not been working.”
Amused, if a bit annoyed, Ethan grabbed the three candy hearts – I love you, Miss Me, and Kiss Kiss – and popped them into his mouth. He knew he was destroying evidence, but he needed the sugar until he could get a cup of java into him.
“Travis,” he said, poking his head into his husband’s office. “I’m guessing by the pile of candy on the sideboard that you haven’t made any progress?”
Murphy sighed and shook his head. “No, and I don’t think I ever will.”
Ethan stepped into the small room and pulled the spare chair up beside Travis. “Why? What’s going on? Let me know how I can help.”
“Not sure that you can,” Travis said flicking one of the trinkets by his desk with a finger. “My publisher thinks my detective needs a romantic interest.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard for you,” he said. “You told me once that he’s a lot like I am, so write him a boyfriend that’s like you.”
Travis gave him a sad look. “I wish it were that easy,” he said. “My publisher specified a female love interest.”
“Oh,” Ethan said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, oh,” Travis laughed. “What in the actual hell do I know about women?”
“More than I do, I’d bet,” Ethan laughed.
“Yeah, but you have two sisters, buster, that’s more than me.”
“True, but I never dated either of my sisters, Murph.”
Travis grinned up at Ethan. “Weirdo.”
“I can live with that,” Ethan said. “But these are still mysteries, right? No sex scenes are expected are they?”
Travis shook his head. “My publisher actually warned me against getting too graphic. The demographic that’s buying my books isn’t one to be interested in too much romance or sex.”
“So why push for a romantic interest?”
“I have no damn idea,” Travis laughed. “But my agent said something about my detective being too much of a hardass and that he needed to soften up some.”
“So you foist a woman upon him,” Ethan said, sarcasm dripping off his words. “Makes no sense to me.”
“Me either,” Travis sighed. “But I have to do it.”
“I think you should offer your publisher an alternative solution.”
“And that would be?” Travis leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
“Tell them you’ll give your detective a female companion, a consultant or a uniformed officer to smooth his edges. But you won’t agree to giving him a girlfriend.” Ethan scratched the back of his neck and frowned. “If they give you any crap, tell them you have no idea how to write a girlfriend because you’ve never had one. Who knows, maybe they’ll let you give him a boyfriend.”
“You are brilliant,” Travis said, standing and kissing Ethan on the mouth. He turned towards his desk and rustled around in the bag of candy he’d stashed by his monitor. “Here,” he said, putting a candy heart in Ethan’s hand.
Ethan looked down and snorted. “Marry me,” he said. “I think you’re too late with that one.”
“Hey,” Travis said, sitting back down at his computer, eager to send the query off to his publisher. “This is Utah. There was a time when it was legal to have more than one spouse.”
Ethan cackled. “Not sure they would have approved of you having several husbands, Travis. Wives, sure, but not husbands.”
“What did they know anyway,” Travis joked. “Seriously though, thanks for the help E. I’m going to send my agent and my publisher an email right now. Want to put my mama’s enchiladas in the oven so we can have a meal before we head off to bed?”
“If your mother brought by enchiladas, the answer is yes. See you in ten minutes?”
“Nine if I can swing it.”
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no subject
Date: 2019-02-18 11:05 pm (UTC)I love them together.
We need to get them back to Vegas at some point.
no subject
Date: 2019-02-18 11:12 pm (UTC)Aw, that makes me happy because they're probably my favorite pairing.
Hahaha... that would be fun.