donovan murphy can make you strong (enhancement) wrote in invol_rpg, @ 2012-12-26 05:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! log, donovan murphy, mason laughlin |
WHO: Donovan Murphy [USA] and Mason Laughlin [USA], with Cormac Murphy [NPC]
WHAT: Tensions between Donovan and his father come to a head.
WHEN: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
WHERE: The Murphy home, NYC.
WARNINGS: Implied sexual situations, homophobia, Don crying again.
STATUS: Complete!
"So do you think they bought it?" Mason asked as he loosened the tie from his neck. They'd just got back from midnight mass -- a quick, efficient service as any Catholic gathering -- where the Atheist Laughlin put on his best approximation of being a Good Catholic. Of all the things Mason thought he'd have to fib about himself to his boyfriend's parents, his religious affiliation wasn't at the top of that list. He folded the garment up and laid it across the armrest. He took a seat on the couch nearest the fireplace while Don got that going. Mason kicked his shoes off and stretched his legs out. "Man I used to be able to stay up until like 4 or 5 in the morning back at Stanford. There's no way I can do that with the schedule they keep us on back in Australia." "Well, I for one am never taking a morning class again," Donovan said, laughing as he stoked up the fireplace. The other Murphys had gone to bed after church, leaving the two Vols alone in the spacious living room of the apartment. "I treated IVI like a real school, and that was a critical mistake. Getting up at eight when you've got training in the afternoon? Nope. Bad idea." When the fire took, Don sat back on his heels and watched it a moment. "Thank you for humoring my parents at mass," he said, with a glance over his shoulder. Rising, he walked over to his boyfriend and took a seat next to him on the couch, pulling Mason's legs across his lap. "I'm still sorry your flight got messed up, but... it was nice to have you there. It's still nice." He smiled. "It's alright. I was really frustrated and mad when it happened, but... neither my mom nor my dad would want me to get too worked up over something like that. I'll be there in a day. We're all safe and healthy, that's all that matters, really." Mason slid down the armrest so could recline a little. He reached out to grab Don's hand and gave it a squeeze. Donovan squeezed back, his free hand moving down to rub one of Mason's feet. "Yeah," he said. "I guess you're right. I never would have thought any of us would be home for Christmas a month ago. This break has been like something out of a dream." Retrieving his captured hand from Mason's grip, he began giving his boyfriend an earnest foot massage. "A Marine van der Velde dream or a George Cooper dream? You have to be specific here," Mason replied with a grin. Marine's dreamscapes were quite nice, very pleasant. "It's been good having all this time to ourselves. And family." "I've never had a Marine dream! I wouldn't know." Donovan frowned in thought. "Not that I know of, anyway. Maybe she was uncharacteristically subtle." He chuckled, thumbs kneading Mason's foot affectionately. "It has been nice. I was... worried. I mean, not just about my parents. I was kind of worried that if we got out in the world it wouldn't be the same." Blushing, Don looked away as he spoke. "I mean, like maybe you would lose interest if you weren't trapped at IVI with me." Sheepishly, he looked back at Mason. "Stupid, I know." "You think too much, my dear." Mason leaned forward and pulled Don in so he could place a kiss to the worrywort's forehead. "I told you before, if I say I'm in, I'm in. You don't have to worry. Have a little faith in us, hm?" "It's hard for me to have faith in anything," Donovan said, quietly. "You know that. But I'm trying, I really am. And this trip... this time together, without all the Vol bullshit to deal with... it's really helped." He smiled, giving Mason a little kiss on the lips. "I promise to relax. New Year's resolution." "When Mom and I talked on skype earlier... she suggested I try to be more positive and not let my anger get the best of me. I'm going to give it a shot." Mason smiled back at Don. "So I can help you with yours." "Deal." Donovan sighed. "I don't know how I'm gonna be okay with going back. This has just been so great. I'd rather bounce between your house and my house forever and never see Australia again." He shook his head. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss Mariana, I miss a lot of people, but that place... it does things to your head, you know?" "Ohhhh yeah." Well, Mason did have a good week before his New Year's Resolution would come up. "Too many children around that really need to get back in the oven and bake for a little longer. Makes you regress some. I'd definitely rather stay, but now that I've had this little time to reset, and get my head back on straight, I'm going to go in with a different attitude." Donovan rested his head on Mason's shoulder, smiling. "That's a good way to look at it. I guess I just wish I knew how long it would last. When we get to have real lives again. Though... given the attention we've gotten on this trip just for existing, I'm not sure... I mean, will there even be a normal life for us? We're all famous whether we like it or not." "It's only like this because they're curious about us. The Vol issue is huge right now and we're all getting sent to special schools or military training academies that the public has next-to-no information about what goes on at IVI except what they see on that little asshole's youtube videos or in our blog posts." Mason ran his fingers through Don's hair, lightly scratching his man's scalp. "Remove some of the mystique and they'll leave you alone some. It all depends on where you live too." "I guess," Donovan said, thinking on this for a bit. "Maybe we should like, buy a private island somewhere. Live on piƱa coladas and refuse interviews." He grinned. "You look pretty cute in a swimsuit; I could live with that view." "I couldn't even buy a Toyota Yaris right now. An island?" Mason rapped his fingers against Don's shoulder. "For a trip or something, yeah! But I'd get so stir crazy with an infinite vacation." "Well, obviously this would be after you become an eccentric beautiful megastar, with me as your mysterious recluse of a boyfriend." Donovan rubbed Mason's stomach idly. "Vanity Fair is only the beginning, you charmer you." "Hold on a second." Mason pulled Don's hand away from his stomach, telekinetically lifted his own shirt up and deposited Don's hand on his bare stomach. "Okay that's better. The VF thing was fun, I can't wait to see how it turns out. Never in a million years would I have thought something like that was going to happen to me." Laughing, Donovan traced the lines of Mason's abs with his fingertips. He shook his head. "I think it's something you can expect a lot more of, babe. You're handsome, you're outgoing, you've got a really flashy power. I think there's going to be a lot of interest." Don flattened his hand and started petting Mace like a happy cat. "I'm sorry I wasn't more involved with it, but... I knew my dad would get mad if I was all over it. I didn't want to... I mean I was already nervous enough about this trip, you know? I didn't want to make too many waves." "Mmm. We'll see. I really don't want to let anything distract me from going to law school and stuff." There was something about the idea of having some sort of real attention, that maybe he could do something with it if he just -- no. He had school to finish up. He promised his family he would. "I get it. You want to do right by them. It's all right." "Law student by day, model by night!" Don grinned. "I'm just saying, keep yourself open to possibilities. It wouldn't be a terrible thing for some good to come out of all this. You've got important stuff to say, Mace, and if you're given a platform..." He decided to leave it at that. "Anyway, nothing you have to think about right now. I'm just proud of you, embracing it all." "Thanks babe. You're the best." Mason considered kissing Don on the top of the head, but noticed a good amount of hair product so gave him a half-hug. Still holding onto his man, Mason patted Don on the chest. "I'm getting kinda tired..." "We can turn in soon," Don promised, taking a moment to gaze at the fire before extricating himself from beneath Mason's legs. Clambering on top of his boyfriend and straddling the telekinetic's thighs, he leaned in for a kiss. "Merry Christmas," he murmured. "Do you want your present now?" -- Cormac was conspicuously absent throughout Christmas Day after the presents were opened, and Donovan was, for a time, content to leave his father well enough alone. They hadn't spoken beyond normal pleasantries since the Christmas party on Saturday, when Cormac had pointedly introduced Mason as his son's "friend" over and over and over again -- regardless of the fact that anyone with access to Google and even the vaguest interest in the budding "volebrities" of IVI would know that Donovan Murphy and Mason Laughlin were a gay couple, if only from the envious gossipmongering of one Karim Bissoondath. Still, it felt wrong to let Christmas go by without having some kind of meaningful conversation between the two of them. He could try, at least. "Hey Dad," he offered, poking his head into the small guest room Cormac used as a study and home office. It took a moment for the elder Murphy to look up from his papers. "Son," he said, with a general tone that suggested I'm busy. "Did you need something?" "No, uh. I just wanted to talk, maybe? We haven't really..." Donovan trailed off. He didn't know quite what to say. He and his father had been very close, once; when he was a boy he was the heir, the scion, and his father loved him fiercely. All that had come crashing down one fateful day when he was 17. "What did you want to talk about?" Cormac asked. He pursed his lips with vague distaste. Don rolled his eyes. "Gee, Dad, I dunno. Anything? Anything at all?" His father looked back down at his reading. "I don't see a need." "Is this how it's going to be between us forever?" Donovan said, unable to temper the angry edge to his voice. "Pretending nothing's wrong in public, and then you hiding in your study whenever I'm here?" "I am not hiding," Cormac hissed, his gaze livid. "Then what are you doing?" "Trying to believe that our lives haven't fallen apart because of you. That you aren't what you are. That you didn't bring into my home not simply another one of your companions in sin, but one from that camp for freaks the government sent you to. Brought that into my home!" Donovan closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "I never did anything to hurt you, Dad." His father chuckled. "Didn't you?" "No. I didn't." Don stepped forward, tears forming at the edges of his vision. "This is just who I am." Silence fell. Cormac looked at his eldest son with a mixture of pity and disgust. "And what a bitter disappointment that is." -- "I'm coming with you," Donovan said, strolling right past Mason to grab his suitcase and start packing it up again. After about a minute of angrily folding clothes, he looked up at his boyfriend and blushed. "Uh, that is to say... if I'm invited, of course." He hadn't meant to presume. "Yeah, sure..." Mason looked at Don warily. It had always been the plan that Don would return in a few days and they could have a more leisurely time in California. But this was pretty abrupt. And he looked pretty upset. "Want to talk about it?" "I mean, I don't know what I'd say. My dad made it clear how he felt about us being here, about me being here. I basically told him to go fuck himself." Donovan ran his hands through his hair. It was all he could do to keep from shaking. "So I figure for everyone's sake I'll just call it here for now. I was only staying three more days, anyway." "Hey. Come here." Mason held his arms out to Donovan. Donovan welcomed the embrace, stepping right into Mason's arms. He wrapped his own around Mason's waist, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I thought it would be different this time," he said. "I hoped..." "I know you did Donny." Mason wrapped his arm's around Don's back and ran a hand up and down to soothe the gentle soul. "I'm really proud you stood up for yourself." Taking a deep, heaving breath, Donovan allowed himself to be comforted. He was doing his best not to cry again. "I have cried way too much over this bullshit in the last few weeks. I hate feeling like this." "I know." Mason held onto Don as long as he needed it. "So what are we going to do instead of feeling like this?" Donovan sniffled, despite himself, and then straightened up. "We're going to go back to your folks and have a good time. I was happy there. I... I can't be happy, here. Not yet. I need time, they need time... Dad might need a lot of time. I just don't know." Flashing Don a smile, Mason let his hold on Don loosen while he composed himself. "For the most part the trip was positive, your family was great. But you're right, your dad needs more time, there's not much that you can do to change his mind right now. I'm sorry it ended up like this." "Yeah," Donovan said. "It gets better in increments, I guess. He's the last real holdout. I don't know if... well. Not worth predicting the future, is it?" He fixed Mason with a wry smile. "That's someone else's power, after all. I'm just the human battery pack." "A really sexy human battery pack," the telekinetic added. Don laughed. "I'll take it." |