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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: The Murphy Corollary
Fandom: White Pine Original Fic (not that there's a fandom or anything - hah!)
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: PG-13 (it's a kissing book)
Word Count: 1,202
Author's Note: Uhhh... so this 100-word flash challenge aspolded all over the place. I think I have tamale in my hair.
Summary: Ethan reflects on meeting Travis and the effect his family has had on them both.
“Can you hurry the hell up? We’re going to be late and you know how much my mother hates that.”
Ethan spit toothpaste into the sink and looked up. Travis stood in the doorway, staring daggers at him. That old song “When Irish Eyes are smiling” suddenly popped into his head and he nearly laughed. Those half-Irish eyes were anything but happy. “Relax, Travis, we’ll get there on time. She won’t be too angry if we’re running a few minutes behind.”
“Oh you think so, do you? Let me tell you, one year I –”
“Tell her it’s my fault,” he mumbled around the toothbrush. It was, after all, his doing entirely. But, in his defense, he worked from midnight until eight o’clock every week night. The previous being no exception. Murphy, on the other hand, could work when he felt like it, so he’d gotten plenty of sleep last night. Ethan had only wished he had gotten half the sleep his partner did.
He might have, too, if Travis hadn’t met him at the door when he’d arrived home, smiling and full of enticing ideas. Smiling at the memory of it, he spit into the sink again. Ethan turned the faucet off and wiped his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m exhausted and for that, you are partly to blame.”
Travis grinned. “And I wouldn’t do anything different, either. But seriously, I tried to wake you three times, Ethan.”
He checked his face in the mirror one last time, making sure there weren’t any lingering touches of toothpaste or shaving cream. Not seeing any, he pushed past Travis and into the bedroom. “Do I have to wear a tie?”
“Don’t we have this discussion every holiday,” Travis teased, taking the tie out of his boyfriend’s hand. “Mama likes her traditions, but fancy dress hasn’t ever been one.”
“Right,” he said, sighing. “I forget that your family is so much more laid back than mine is.”
“You mean your mother made you wear a tie to Thanksgiving dinner?” He pocketed the car keys that were on the dresser.
“You have everything,” Ethan asked. At Travis’ nod, he continued. “Not just a tie, but a jacket too. It was awful.”
“I bet,” Travis agreed. “At least now I know why you’re so damn uptight.”
Ethan glared at him. “You want to walk to your parents’ house?”
“No baby,” he replied, kissing his cheek in apology.
“Good.”
Snow had started to drift down by the time they pulled into the elder Murphy’s drive. Ethan shut off the engine and looked at Travis, thinking about the first night they spent together. Tonight’s snowfall would be negligible, but the sight of the white flakes always brought him back to that memory. He could tell by the faraway look in the other man’s eyes that they were sharing a similar thought.
“Thank you,” he said into the stillness of the truck’s cab.
“For what?” Travis took his hand and gave a slight squeeze.
“For not forcing me to sleep in my stupid, unreliable car that night.”
A chuckle filled the silence between them. “You do know I was hoping I’d get lucky that night, right?”
Somehow that didn’t surprise him, Murphy was always looking to get lucky. “And did you?”
“You have no idea,” he teased, moving in and stealing a kiss.
“What the hell,” Ethan laughed, breaking the kiss. “I think your phone is trying to get your attention.”
Travis pulled the vibrating phone out of his pocket and checked the display. He answered it with a roll of his eyes. “Yes Mama?”
Ethan could hear her end of the conversation just well enough to figure out she wanted to know where they were and how long they planned on holding up dinner.
In typical Murphy fashion, Travis gave her the honest truth. “We’re in the driveway, we’ll be at the table in three minutes.”
He watched Travis listen for a minute more before he responded in Spanish and hanging up. “What was that last bit about?”
“Mama wanted to know why we were sitting in the cold when we could be inside, where it was warm.” He tucked the phone back inside his jacket.
“And what did you tell her?” Ethan’s biggest fear was that he’d told her they’d been on the verge of making out. Judging by the look on his face, he’d at least entertained the idea.
“I said we were watching the snow fall.”
“Nice save,” he teased, opening the door. Before climbing out, he stopped, turning to his lover one last time. “Travis? You think that maybe, if it’s still coming down after dinner...?”
“You want to go sit by the lake?”
He knew him too well. “I do.”
“Then, snowing or not, I can make that happen.” He paused, an evil grin forming on his perfect face. “On one condition though.”
“What’s that?” He wasn’t surprised, Murphy didn’t grant requests without attaching some sort of ridiculous condition to them.
“That you help me steam up the windows.” The moonlight reflected in his stormy blue eyes.
“I think I might be able to work with that,” he said, returning Travis’ kiss from earlier.
“So happy to hear it,” Travis agreed. “But I think that’s my mother looking out the window.”
“Hmm,” Ethan said, opening the driver’s door. “And if she’s looking, she’ll be out here in about four minutes.”
“You’re being generous,” Travis joked, opening his own door and getting out. “I don’t give her more than two.”
As if she’d heard the boys talking about her, Mama Murphy opened the front door and squinted into the night. “Travis, your father says you two are out here necking.”
“I never said such a thing,” Liam added from somewhere behind her. “She lies.”
“If you boys want to do that,” Aracely stated, ignoring her husband, “you could have stayed home.”
Despite her words, Ethan knew that wasn’t ever an option. She’d never say so, but it was implied in the way she fawned over them both, making sure they had enough to eat, and more than enough to take home later. Neither she nor Liam were satisfied unless Travis – and himself, too – were present for every holiday and Sunday dinner.
“No Mama,” Travis intervened, “I promise. We weren’t doing anything like that at all.”
And, as much as he harassed Travis about all of it, he couldn’t be happier to finally be part of a family that truly wanted him as a part of it.
“See that you don’t, either,” she scolded. “Now, you know I don’t care that you date men, but you don’t do that in public. You understand me?”
Travis moved past his mother and into the house. “Yes ma’am, we know better.”
“That’s right, you do,” Aracely reminded him, closing the door after Ethan. “I raised you better than that.”
“She also raised that boy not to lie,” Liam stated from just over Ethan’s shoulder. “But I saw the two of you smooching.” He tossed a wink at Ethan and followed his wife and son into the kitchen. “Does this mean we can eat?”
What a family, he thought. And then remembered they called him one of their own.
Fandom: White Pine Original Fic (not that there's a fandom or anything - hah!)
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: PG-13 (it's a kissing book)
Word Count: 1,202
Author's Note: Uhhh... so this 100-word flash challenge aspolded all over the place. I think I have tamale in my hair.
Summary: Ethan reflects on meeting Travis and the effect his family has had on them both.
“Can you hurry the hell up? We’re going to be late and you know how much my mother hates that.”
Ethan spit toothpaste into the sink and looked up. Travis stood in the doorway, staring daggers at him. That old song “When Irish Eyes are smiling” suddenly popped into his head and he nearly laughed. Those half-Irish eyes were anything but happy. “Relax, Travis, we’ll get there on time. She won’t be too angry if we’re running a few minutes behind.”
“Oh you think so, do you? Let me tell you, one year I –”
“Tell her it’s my fault,” he mumbled around the toothbrush. It was, after all, his doing entirely. But, in his defense, he worked from midnight until eight o’clock every week night. The previous being no exception. Murphy, on the other hand, could work when he felt like it, so he’d gotten plenty of sleep last night. Ethan had only wished he had gotten half the sleep his partner did.
He might have, too, if Travis hadn’t met him at the door when he’d arrived home, smiling and full of enticing ideas. Smiling at the memory of it, he spit into the sink again. Ethan turned the faucet off and wiped his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m exhausted and for that, you are partly to blame.”
Travis grinned. “And I wouldn’t do anything different, either. But seriously, I tried to wake you three times, Ethan.”
He checked his face in the mirror one last time, making sure there weren’t any lingering touches of toothpaste or shaving cream. Not seeing any, he pushed past Travis and into the bedroom. “Do I have to wear a tie?”
“Don’t we have this discussion every holiday,” Travis teased, taking the tie out of his boyfriend’s hand. “Mama likes her traditions, but fancy dress hasn’t ever been one.”
“Right,” he said, sighing. “I forget that your family is so much more laid back than mine is.”
“You mean your mother made you wear a tie to Thanksgiving dinner?” He pocketed the car keys that were on the dresser.
“You have everything,” Ethan asked. At Travis’ nod, he continued. “Not just a tie, but a jacket too. It was awful.”
“I bet,” Travis agreed. “At least now I know why you’re so damn uptight.”
Ethan glared at him. “You want to walk to your parents’ house?”
“No baby,” he replied, kissing his cheek in apology.
“Good.”
Snow had started to drift down by the time they pulled into the elder Murphy’s drive. Ethan shut off the engine and looked at Travis, thinking about the first night they spent together. Tonight’s snowfall would be negligible, but the sight of the white flakes always brought him back to that memory. He could tell by the faraway look in the other man’s eyes that they were sharing a similar thought.
“Thank you,” he said into the stillness of the truck’s cab.
“For what?” Travis took his hand and gave a slight squeeze.
“For not forcing me to sleep in my stupid, unreliable car that night.”
A chuckle filled the silence between them. “You do know I was hoping I’d get lucky that night, right?”
Somehow that didn’t surprise him, Murphy was always looking to get lucky. “And did you?”
“You have no idea,” he teased, moving in and stealing a kiss.
“What the hell,” Ethan laughed, breaking the kiss. “I think your phone is trying to get your attention.”
Travis pulled the vibrating phone out of his pocket and checked the display. He answered it with a roll of his eyes. “Yes Mama?”
Ethan could hear her end of the conversation just well enough to figure out she wanted to know where they were and how long they planned on holding up dinner.
In typical Murphy fashion, Travis gave her the honest truth. “We’re in the driveway, we’ll be at the table in three minutes.”
He watched Travis listen for a minute more before he responded in Spanish and hanging up. “What was that last bit about?”
“Mama wanted to know why we were sitting in the cold when we could be inside, where it was warm.” He tucked the phone back inside his jacket.
“And what did you tell her?” Ethan’s biggest fear was that he’d told her they’d been on the verge of making out. Judging by the look on his face, he’d at least entertained the idea.
“I said we were watching the snow fall.”
“Nice save,” he teased, opening the door. Before climbing out, he stopped, turning to his lover one last time. “Travis? You think that maybe, if it’s still coming down after dinner...?”
“You want to go sit by the lake?”
He knew him too well. “I do.”
“Then, snowing or not, I can make that happen.” He paused, an evil grin forming on his perfect face. “On one condition though.”
“What’s that?” He wasn’t surprised, Murphy didn’t grant requests without attaching some sort of ridiculous condition to them.
“That you help me steam up the windows.” The moonlight reflected in his stormy blue eyes.
“I think I might be able to work with that,” he said, returning Travis’ kiss from earlier.
“So happy to hear it,” Travis agreed. “But I think that’s my mother looking out the window.”
“Hmm,” Ethan said, opening the driver’s door. “And if she’s looking, she’ll be out here in about four minutes.”
“You’re being generous,” Travis joked, opening his own door and getting out. “I don’t give her more than two.”
As if she’d heard the boys talking about her, Mama Murphy opened the front door and squinted into the night. “Travis, your father says you two are out here necking.”
“I never said such a thing,” Liam added from somewhere behind her. “She lies.”
“If you boys want to do that,” Aracely stated, ignoring her husband, “you could have stayed home.”
Despite her words, Ethan knew that wasn’t ever an option. She’d never say so, but it was implied in the way she fawned over them both, making sure they had enough to eat, and more than enough to take home later. Neither she nor Liam were satisfied unless Travis – and himself, too – were present for every holiday and Sunday dinner.
“No Mama,” Travis intervened, “I promise. We weren’t doing anything like that at all.”
And, as much as he harassed Travis about all of it, he couldn’t be happier to finally be part of a family that truly wanted him as a part of it.
“See that you don’t, either,” she scolded. “Now, you know I don’t care that you date men, but you don’t do that in public. You understand me?”
Travis moved past his mother and into the house. “Yes ma’am, we know better.”
“That’s right, you do,” Aracely reminded him, closing the door after Ethan. “I raised you better than that.”
“She also raised that boy not to lie,” Liam stated from just over Ethan’s shoulder. “But I saw the two of you smooching.” He tossed a wink at Ethan and followed his wife and son into the kitchen. “Does this mean we can eat?”
What a family, he thought. And then remembered they called him one of their own.
