asphaltcowgrrl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2014-12-13 08:31 pm
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2014-12-13 08:31 pm
Entry tags:
Advent Day 13 (White Pine Original Fic)
Title: Advent Day 13
Fandom: White Pine Original Fic
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: G (mostly)
Word Count: 2,205!
Summary: A Christmas/New Year’s fic to help bump up the word count for 1_million_words. Wherein Travis and Ethan muddle their way through December and try to stay on Santa’s Nice List.
Author’s Note: I almost didn’t think I was going to get this posted (or written even) today. Between grocery shopping and binge baking, I am pretty wiped out. That said, it’s nearing 9 PM here on the west coast and I can’t vouch for the coherence of what follows. But dude – 2200 words!
Day 13
The car pulled into the drive, spitting gravel, exactly on time. Ethan’s heart lodged in his throat, finding himself nearly incapable of breathing. A solid, comforting hand landed on his back. “Relax, baby. This will either be okay or it won’t.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted. “That it’ll be a disaster.”
“Maybe it will be.” He shrugged noncommittally. “But maybe it won’t be, either. No matter how it turns out, you’re doing your best to fix things, starting with your sister. Right?”
“Right.” He let out a nervous breath and looked at the door. “She should be knocking soon.”
As if she’d heard him, a loud rapping came at the door. Ethan gave Travis a helpless look before moving to answer. On the other side stood Melody Jean, smiling, her green eyes sparkling with merriment. He felt his heart stutter and begin to beat again, relaxing minutely at her good humor.
“Melody,” he said, forcing a smile of his own. “Come on inside.”
She stepped into the foyer, pausing so Ethan could take her coat. As soon as he had it dangling from the rack, she enfolded him in a warm hug. Loving, sisterly, and oh so long overdue. “Missed you, little brother.”
Ethan leaned into her for a moment before pulling back enough to look into her eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. And I mean that.”
“He has to qualify statements like that,” Travis said from the living room. “He’s anti-feelings most of the time so when he says something sentimental, you have to assume he’s kidding.”
“You can shut the hell up,” he said, laughter overriding his words. “And you remember Travis, I’m sure.”
“Of course I do,” she said, leaving Ethan to wrap Travis in an equally warm, if not as familiar, hug. “How’ve you been?”
“Good,” he said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
MJ released her hold on Travis and grinned. “Whatcha got?”
“Well,” he drawled, dragging the one word out for as long as he could. “Coffee, eggnog, wine –”
“Which is for dinner, remember?” Ethan huffed his impatience. He’d picked up two bottles but if they broke into them now, he wasn’t sure any of them would last until dinner.
Travis ignored his boyfriend. “I can always make you an Irish coffee as well.”
“You will not make my sister one of your infamous and dangerous Irish coffees,” Ethan demanded.
“Now that sounds ominous,” MJ laughed. “I’ll take one of those.”
“Oh dear god,” Ethan whimpered. “Just remember that she has to drive home tonight, okay?”
“Your wish is my command, baby,” Travis said, tossing him a flirty wink that hinted nothing but bad things were to come.
They watched Travis wander off towards the kitchen. “Are they that bad?”
“No, they’re just really, really strong. Not even sure if he remembers to put the coffee in them half the time.” He rolled his eyes heavenward, remembering the hangovers Travis’ little concoctions had given him over the last two years. “Damn Irishmen.”
Melody laughed, loudly, and squeezed her brother’s arm. “What’s for dinner?”
“Well,” he rubbed his fingers across his mouth, trying to decide how to be honest and not sound as lame as he felt. “You know I don’t cook…”
“That’s an understatement,” she teased.
“Murphy is better at it than I am, although none of his specialties are fitting for a night like tonight.” He looked towards the kitchen, praying Travis would return soon. They’d started a pot of coffee before MJ had arrived, he should’ve been back by now.
“And?” She raised an eyebrow in question. “You order out?”
“No,” he chuckled. “I’m - we’re – not that lame. But…”
“My mother took pity on us,” Travis finished, returning with three of his favorite mismatched mugs in his hands. “She’s an amazing cook.”
“She really is,” Ethan agreed, taking Hello Kitty for his sister and one with a quote on the side for himself, leaving Travis with his favorite Eeoyre mug.
“Mm,” Melody murmured, sipping on her coffee, a small splutter arising when she gulped too quickly. “Wow that’s…”
“Strong,” Ethan finished, glaring at Travis. “But for the first time in months, I can actually taste the coffee.”
Travis narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, before returning his gaze to Melody. “As I was saying, my mother is a wonderful cook and she made us enchiladas, rice, beans, salsa and sent tortilla chips.”
“She made dessert, too,” Ethan added, giving Travis a stern look. “And if we’re lucky, there might be some left.”
“It’s all left, you big dumb kilt-wearer.” He stuck his tongue out to further his point.
“Yeah, I never forget an Irish face, but in your case, I’ll make an exception,” Ethan retaliated, ducking as a dark fist swung in his direction. “Hey! I thought we agreed on no violence while my family was in the house.”
“That was before you insulted my face,” Travis pouted.
Ethan glanced at his sister, gauging her level of discomfort and found her grinning. “You insulted my wardrobe first. I’d never be caught dead in a tartan.”
“It’s okay, Ethan. We’ll get you a solid colored kilt.” MJ took another sip of her drink and winked at Travis.
“She’s officially had enough,” Ethan joked. “And speaking of which, how much longer on dinner?”
“I’ll go check,” he said, handing over his drink and disappearing again.
“You two are adorable,” she told him. “Travis is too cute and just the kind of guy you need. Keeps you on your toes.”
“That he definitely does,” he agreed. And he keeps me from getting lost in my own damn head. “He’s fun, too. Usually. When he’s not mistaking coyotes for stray dogs.”
“That was only one time,” Travis grumbled, returning to the living room. “I just took the enchiladas out of the oven and they’re resting like Mama said they should.”
“Perfect, I’m starving,” Travis said taking his sister by the elbow. “And it was twice.”
“Once, twice, who cares how many times?”
“You mean other than you twice tried to bring a coyote into the house?” Travis’ soft heart towards animals was legendary in this house. It gave Ethan no end of stories to tell and points to tease on.
“Do you want dinner or not?”
“Dinner, please,” Ethan said, verbally waving the white flag.
Travis went into the kitchen while Ethan showed MJ to the table. Getting her seated, he topped her off with some hot coffee to combat the Jameson, and joined Murphy in the kitchen. “You know I was teasing you, right?”
He looked up from the bowl of cilantro rice in front of him. “Of course I know you’re teasing. You like to tease, just like I do, and rarely say hurtful things.”
“Okay, I was worried you might have taken something the wrong way,” he confessed.
“Never.” Travis pulled the foil off the top of the enchiladas and took a deep breath. “Mmmmm…”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “Now get them on the table, I’m starving.”
“You and me both,” he said, lifting the casserole dish and carrying it to the table. “Get the other stuff.”
Ethan grabbed the rice and black beans, thinking he’d come back for the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, when MJ poked her head in. “Can I help?”
“You sure can,” he said, inclining his head towards the stuff still on the counter. “Grab what you can, and I’ll send Travis back for the rest.”
Relying on past work as a waitress, Melody managed to balance all three bowls and get them to the table without spilling a drop of anything. “Muy impresionante,” Travis praised. “Not sure I could have done that myself.”
MJ gave a slight curtsy before reseating herself. “Thank you, Travis. And mother said working as a waitress was a waste of time.”
“Funny,” Ethan breathed, taking his place at the table. “Father said the same thing about the police academy.”
“Our father is an idiot,” she spat, shocking both men. “If you aren’t doing what he’s telling you to, then it’s a waste of time.”
Ethan couldn’t disagree with her assessment. “Did you still end up in nursing school like they wanted you to?” She’d have been a fantastic nurse, with her kind heart and empathetic manner, but it wasn’t where her heart was. She’d always been more drawn to the artistic side of life.
“Nope,” she grinned. “I dropped out and it pissed them off. Thomas especially,” she crinkled her nose.
“And Thomas is?” Travis looked from one to the other. He pulled out the chair next to Ethan and sat.
“Our oldest brother,” Ethan informed him. “Also the one most like our father, unfortunately.”
“Meaning, whenever the patriarch wasn’t in residence,” Melody explained, “Thomas decided it was his place to put us all in ours.”
“Ah,” Travis said in understanding. “I have a cousin like that.”
“On which side,” Ethan asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“My mother’s, believe it or not.” Travis snorted, reaching for the spatula. “Who wants food?”
“Me,” came the chorus from around him.
With a grin, he shoveled enchiladas onto plates and handed them around. “Help yourself to the rest. Mama stuck with plain cheese since Ethan wasn’t sure what you would prefer.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Ethan said, using his fork to scoop up a gooey bite of food. “Cheese are his favorite. These are just missing the verde sauce.”
“Now that I can truthfully say she thought your sister might not like,” Travis blushed.
“It’s delicious,” MJ told him. “It’s all delicious, really. Our mom was a passable cook, but nothing like this.”
“Definitely not,” Ethan seconded her opinion.
“I still maintain that Ethan fell in love with my mother’s cooking before me,” Travis threw out, stuffing a fork of rice and beans into his mouth.
“That’s not… entirely true,” Ethan tried to defend.
“Eh, I can’t blame you,” he joked. “Melody, can I ask you a question?”
She looked startled at his change of topics, but nodded. “Sure.”
“Why on earth did you decide to reach out to Ethan like this? Not that I’m complaining, but he’d told me he was completely estranged from his entire family and had been for too long.”
“That’s it right there – too long. I agree with that assessment.”
“So, what made you reach out?”
Ethan looked at his fiancé and could see his writer’s brain working overtime. The questions, while ordinary and expected were fueling something in Lawanda’s brain as well. He could almost smell the smoke.
She set her fork down and folded her hands on the table. “I ran into Larry at the store one afternoon.”
“Larry?” Travis looked confused.
“Captain Larry Michaels,” Ethan supplied. “He replaced my former captain at the fifty-third. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”
“He and Jacob,” she turned to Travis, “that’s my husband, Jacob, they’re old family friends.”
“Ah,” Ethan said. “That makes sense. And running into him led you here how?”
She made a face. “He’d been talking to Jake and discovered I had a brother who was a former cop. We got to discussing that and that’s how I found out you knew him. It’s also how I found out you told your partner to ‘take this job and shove it’, so to speak, naked, through a hotel room door.”
Ethan slapped a hand over his face. “Guilty.”
“But in his defense,” Travis offered, “he was in a bad place at the time. He’d been so lost without me.”
As true as that might have been, he wasn’t going to admit to it right then. “Stow it, Murphy.”
“Blow me, McDowell,” he returned. “Shit,” Travis laughed, realizing what he’d just said. “Sorry.”
MJ waved a hand in the air, laughter shaking her body. “Don’t apologize. It’s too much fun watching you two argue like a couple of schoolboys.”
“Well, I have to say, I’m thankful you decided to seek your brother out,” Travis said.
“I am, too,” Ethan stated. “Things might not ever be the same as they were, but they can be better.”
“I’ll drink to that,” MJ cheered, raising her mug.
Ethan and Travis lifted their mugs in joint salute.
Travis stowed the last of his mother’s dishes in the washer. “I like your sister,” he said.
“I like her, too,” Ethan confessed. “I’ve missed her as well. She helped me through a lot.”
“Here’s to moving forward with her, even if the rest of your family remains stubborn.” Travis curled an arm around Ethan, tucking him against his body. “We’ll have to have her back sometime. Her husband, too.”
Ethan nodded. “I think so, too. Jake was a good guy in high school, I doubt he’s changed much since then.” He ran a hand up Travis’ solid chest. “And here’s to us. Almost time to celebrate one more year together.”
It was hard to conceive, but it was true. They’d made a mess of their first Christmas together, but the second had ended quite spectacularly. He still wore the band that Travis had bought for them, even though the wedding had been pushed back indefinitely.
“One more of many,” Travis added.
He couldn’t have said it better.
Fandom: White Pine Original Fic
Pairing: Travis Murphy/Ethan McDowell
Rating: G (mostly)
Word Count: 2,205!
Summary: A Christmas/New Year’s fic to help bump up the word count for 1_million_words. Wherein Travis and Ethan muddle their way through December and try to stay on Santa’s Nice List.
Author’s Note: I almost didn’t think I was going to get this posted (or written even) today. Between grocery shopping and binge baking, I am pretty wiped out. That said, it’s nearing 9 PM here on the west coast and I can’t vouch for the coherence of what follows. But dude – 2200 words!
Day 13
The car pulled into the drive, spitting gravel, exactly on time. Ethan’s heart lodged in his throat, finding himself nearly incapable of breathing. A solid, comforting hand landed on his back. “Relax, baby. This will either be okay or it won’t.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted. “That it’ll be a disaster.”
“Maybe it will be.” He shrugged noncommittally. “But maybe it won’t be, either. No matter how it turns out, you’re doing your best to fix things, starting with your sister. Right?”
“Right.” He let out a nervous breath and looked at the door. “She should be knocking soon.”
As if she’d heard him, a loud rapping came at the door. Ethan gave Travis a helpless look before moving to answer. On the other side stood Melody Jean, smiling, her green eyes sparkling with merriment. He felt his heart stutter and begin to beat again, relaxing minutely at her good humor.
“Melody,” he said, forcing a smile of his own. “Come on inside.”
She stepped into the foyer, pausing so Ethan could take her coat. As soon as he had it dangling from the rack, she enfolded him in a warm hug. Loving, sisterly, and oh so long overdue. “Missed you, little brother.”
Ethan leaned into her for a moment before pulling back enough to look into her eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. And I mean that.”
“He has to qualify statements like that,” Travis said from the living room. “He’s anti-feelings most of the time so when he says something sentimental, you have to assume he’s kidding.”
“You can shut the hell up,” he said, laughter overriding his words. “And you remember Travis, I’m sure.”
“Of course I do,” she said, leaving Ethan to wrap Travis in an equally warm, if not as familiar, hug. “How’ve you been?”
“Good,” he said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
MJ released her hold on Travis and grinned. “Whatcha got?”
“Well,” he drawled, dragging the one word out for as long as he could. “Coffee, eggnog, wine –”
“Which is for dinner, remember?” Ethan huffed his impatience. He’d picked up two bottles but if they broke into them now, he wasn’t sure any of them would last until dinner.
Travis ignored his boyfriend. “I can always make you an Irish coffee as well.”
“You will not make my sister one of your infamous and dangerous Irish coffees,” Ethan demanded.
“Now that sounds ominous,” MJ laughed. “I’ll take one of those.”
“Oh dear god,” Ethan whimpered. “Just remember that she has to drive home tonight, okay?”
“Your wish is my command, baby,” Travis said, tossing him a flirty wink that hinted nothing but bad things were to come.
They watched Travis wander off towards the kitchen. “Are they that bad?”
“No, they’re just really, really strong. Not even sure if he remembers to put the coffee in them half the time.” He rolled his eyes heavenward, remembering the hangovers Travis’ little concoctions had given him over the last two years. “Damn Irishmen.”
Melody laughed, loudly, and squeezed her brother’s arm. “What’s for dinner?”
“Well,” he rubbed his fingers across his mouth, trying to decide how to be honest and not sound as lame as he felt. “You know I don’t cook…”
“That’s an understatement,” she teased.
“Murphy is better at it than I am, although none of his specialties are fitting for a night like tonight.” He looked towards the kitchen, praying Travis would return soon. They’d started a pot of coffee before MJ had arrived, he should’ve been back by now.
“And?” She raised an eyebrow in question. “You order out?”
“No,” he chuckled. “I’m - we’re – not that lame. But…”
“My mother took pity on us,” Travis finished, returning with three of his favorite mismatched mugs in his hands. “She’s an amazing cook.”
“She really is,” Ethan agreed, taking Hello Kitty for his sister and one with a quote on the side for himself, leaving Travis with his favorite Eeoyre mug.
“Mm,” Melody murmured, sipping on her coffee, a small splutter arising when she gulped too quickly. “Wow that’s…”
“Strong,” Ethan finished, glaring at Travis. “But for the first time in months, I can actually taste the coffee.”
Travis narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, before returning his gaze to Melody. “As I was saying, my mother is a wonderful cook and she made us enchiladas, rice, beans, salsa and sent tortilla chips.”
“She made dessert, too,” Ethan added, giving Travis a stern look. “And if we’re lucky, there might be some left.”
“It’s all left, you big dumb kilt-wearer.” He stuck his tongue out to further his point.
“Yeah, I never forget an Irish face, but in your case, I’ll make an exception,” Ethan retaliated, ducking as a dark fist swung in his direction. “Hey! I thought we agreed on no violence while my family was in the house.”
“That was before you insulted my face,” Travis pouted.
Ethan glanced at his sister, gauging her level of discomfort and found her grinning. “You insulted my wardrobe first. I’d never be caught dead in a tartan.”
“It’s okay, Ethan. We’ll get you a solid colored kilt.” MJ took another sip of her drink and winked at Travis.
“She’s officially had enough,” Ethan joked. “And speaking of which, how much longer on dinner?”
“I’ll go check,” he said, handing over his drink and disappearing again.
“You two are adorable,” she told him. “Travis is too cute and just the kind of guy you need. Keeps you on your toes.”
“That he definitely does,” he agreed. And he keeps me from getting lost in my own damn head. “He’s fun, too. Usually. When he’s not mistaking coyotes for stray dogs.”
“That was only one time,” Travis grumbled, returning to the living room. “I just took the enchiladas out of the oven and they’re resting like Mama said they should.”
“Perfect, I’m starving,” Travis said taking his sister by the elbow. “And it was twice.”
“Once, twice, who cares how many times?”
“You mean other than you twice tried to bring a coyote into the house?” Travis’ soft heart towards animals was legendary in this house. It gave Ethan no end of stories to tell and points to tease on.
“Do you want dinner or not?”
“Dinner, please,” Ethan said, verbally waving the white flag.
Travis went into the kitchen while Ethan showed MJ to the table. Getting her seated, he topped her off with some hot coffee to combat the Jameson, and joined Murphy in the kitchen. “You know I was teasing you, right?”
He looked up from the bowl of cilantro rice in front of him. “Of course I know you’re teasing. You like to tease, just like I do, and rarely say hurtful things.”
“Okay, I was worried you might have taken something the wrong way,” he confessed.
“Never.” Travis pulled the foil off the top of the enchiladas and took a deep breath. “Mmmmm…”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “Now get them on the table, I’m starving.”
“You and me both,” he said, lifting the casserole dish and carrying it to the table. “Get the other stuff.”
Ethan grabbed the rice and black beans, thinking he’d come back for the salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, when MJ poked her head in. “Can I help?”
“You sure can,” he said, inclining his head towards the stuff still on the counter. “Grab what you can, and I’ll send Travis back for the rest.”
Relying on past work as a waitress, Melody managed to balance all three bowls and get them to the table without spilling a drop of anything. “Muy impresionante,” Travis praised. “Not sure I could have done that myself.”
MJ gave a slight curtsy before reseating herself. “Thank you, Travis. And mother said working as a waitress was a waste of time.”
“Funny,” Ethan breathed, taking his place at the table. “Father said the same thing about the police academy.”
“Our father is an idiot,” she spat, shocking both men. “If you aren’t doing what he’s telling you to, then it’s a waste of time.”
Ethan couldn’t disagree with her assessment. “Did you still end up in nursing school like they wanted you to?” She’d have been a fantastic nurse, with her kind heart and empathetic manner, but it wasn’t where her heart was. She’d always been more drawn to the artistic side of life.
“Nope,” she grinned. “I dropped out and it pissed them off. Thomas especially,” she crinkled her nose.
“And Thomas is?” Travis looked from one to the other. He pulled out the chair next to Ethan and sat.
“Our oldest brother,” Ethan informed him. “Also the one most like our father, unfortunately.”
“Meaning, whenever the patriarch wasn’t in residence,” Melody explained, “Thomas decided it was his place to put us all in ours.”
“Ah,” Travis said in understanding. “I have a cousin like that.”
“On which side,” Ethan asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“My mother’s, believe it or not.” Travis snorted, reaching for the spatula. “Who wants food?”
“Me,” came the chorus from around him.
With a grin, he shoveled enchiladas onto plates and handed them around. “Help yourself to the rest. Mama stuck with plain cheese since Ethan wasn’t sure what you would prefer.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Ethan said, using his fork to scoop up a gooey bite of food. “Cheese are his favorite. These are just missing the verde sauce.”
“Now that I can truthfully say she thought your sister might not like,” Travis blushed.
“It’s delicious,” MJ told him. “It’s all delicious, really. Our mom was a passable cook, but nothing like this.”
“Definitely not,” Ethan seconded her opinion.
“I still maintain that Ethan fell in love with my mother’s cooking before me,” Travis threw out, stuffing a fork of rice and beans into his mouth.
“That’s not… entirely true,” Ethan tried to defend.
“Eh, I can’t blame you,” he joked. “Melody, can I ask you a question?”
She looked startled at his change of topics, but nodded. “Sure.”
“Why on earth did you decide to reach out to Ethan like this? Not that I’m complaining, but he’d told me he was completely estranged from his entire family and had been for too long.”
“That’s it right there – too long. I agree with that assessment.”
“So, what made you reach out?”
Ethan looked at his fiancé and could see his writer’s brain working overtime. The questions, while ordinary and expected were fueling something in Lawanda’s brain as well. He could almost smell the smoke.
She set her fork down and folded her hands on the table. “I ran into Larry at the store one afternoon.”
“Larry?” Travis looked confused.
“Captain Larry Michaels,” Ethan supplied. “He replaced my former captain at the fifty-third. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”
“He and Jacob,” she turned to Travis, “that’s my husband, Jacob, they’re old family friends.”
“Ah,” Ethan said. “That makes sense. And running into him led you here how?”
She made a face. “He’d been talking to Jake and discovered I had a brother who was a former cop. We got to discussing that and that’s how I found out you knew him. It’s also how I found out you told your partner to ‘take this job and shove it’, so to speak, naked, through a hotel room door.”
Ethan slapped a hand over his face. “Guilty.”
“But in his defense,” Travis offered, “he was in a bad place at the time. He’d been so lost without me.”
As true as that might have been, he wasn’t going to admit to it right then. “Stow it, Murphy.”
“Blow me, McDowell,” he returned. “Shit,” Travis laughed, realizing what he’d just said. “Sorry.”
MJ waved a hand in the air, laughter shaking her body. “Don’t apologize. It’s too much fun watching you two argue like a couple of schoolboys.”
“Well, I have to say, I’m thankful you decided to seek your brother out,” Travis said.
“I am, too,” Ethan stated. “Things might not ever be the same as they were, but they can be better.”
“I’ll drink to that,” MJ cheered, raising her mug.
Ethan and Travis lifted their mugs in joint salute.
Travis stowed the last of his mother’s dishes in the washer. “I like your sister,” he said.
“I like her, too,” Ethan confessed. “I’ve missed her as well. She helped me through a lot.”
“Here’s to moving forward with her, even if the rest of your family remains stubborn.” Travis curled an arm around Ethan, tucking him against his body. “We’ll have to have her back sometime. Her husband, too.”
Ethan nodded. “I think so, too. Jake was a good guy in high school, I doubt he’s changed much since then.” He ran a hand up Travis’ solid chest. “And here’s to us. Almost time to celebrate one more year together.”
It was hard to conceive, but it was true. They’d made a mess of their first Christmas together, but the second had ended quite spectacularly. He still wore the band that Travis had bought for them, even though the wedding had been pushed back indefinitely.
“One more of many,” Travis added.
He couldn’t have said it better.
no subject
Sweet, funny, and freaking adorable. That's what comes to mind. I like MJ more and more every time we get to see a bit further into her personality. But it really makes me realize how much I love Travis. MJ nailed it - he is the perfect man for Ethan.
Now, I'm going to be waiting for a picture of the Hello Kitty and Eeyore mugs next :)
Thank you!
no subject
Thank you! I honestly wasn't sure how she was going to play out, to be honest. I figure in every family, no matter how fouled up, there is at least one ally. I knew she wouldn't be an outright bitch, but I wasn't sure if she'd play so nicely either. So, surprise!
Aw! I really do adore Travis myself (re-named my iPod Murphy this weekend), so it makes me happy that you like him so much.
Okay - I have to confess. I don't have an Eeyore mug, but I do have a Winnie the Pooh mug. And, well, this (courtesy of my sister):