Title: Dysfunctional Doesn't Cover It
Author: Pretzelduck
Author's e-mail: [email protected]
Author's URL: http://www.geocities.com/pretzelduck
Date: Posted to EntSTSlash 06/03/2003
Archive: Permission to archive granted to EntSTCommunity, Tim Ruben, and WWOMB
Fandom: Star Trek:
Category: Slash
Rating: R
Status: Complete
Pairing: Reed/Mayweather
Main character(s): Reed, Mayweather, Madeline Reed
Summary: While on a visit to Earth, Malcolm's father connects with Travis and Malcolm drinks a few too many warm beers.
Warnings: none
Series: none
Sequel to: none
Spoilers: Silent Enemy, The Expanse
Disclaimer: Guess what?
I don't own the Star Trek franchise.
Author's Notes: An answer to Kipli's All-in-One Challenge. Congratulations on the BA and happy early birthday!
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I think I'm more nervous than he is. You'd think that with Malcolm's relationship to his family, this little impromptu gathering would be turning him into a quivering ball of nerves. But he looks calm. If you consider constant fidgeting a type of calm, anyway.
"I'm going to kill Hoshi."
Another one of Malcolm's out-of-the-blue statements. I don't know how he jumps from one conservation to another in his head so fast. It's like he's talking to himself and a random sentence ends up being spoken aloud.
"Any reason in particular?"
"For mentioning to Madeline that the captain insisted that everyone take a day and visit our families while we're here."
Every since the captain had given Hoshi the assignment of tracking down Malcolm's favorite food, she and his sister had built a subspace friendship. Which had resulted in Hoshi telling Madeline about Captain Archer's suggestion. And Madeline managing, because she had her brother wrapped around her little finger, to get him to come visit for a day. The snag being that their parents also happen to be in town. So now we're sitting in this park waiting for all three of them to show up. Not that I mind the waiting.
Malcolm invited me to come with him. We may be dating but I didn't expect it. Just like I don't expect to be introduced as anything other than a friend. It bothers me a little but I'm not ruining my chance to be with Malcolm. And running around telling everyone that we're dating is a sure fire way to do that.
"Don't you want to see your sister?"
"Yes, but there are other things I should be doing. The torpedo systems are undergoing a complete overhaul. I should be there, Travis."
"One day is not going to throw that big of a monkey-wrench into the works."
"It's my responsibility. I have a duty to be there."
"Does this have anything to do with the fact that your parents are coming, too? Because we out-number them, you know. You, me, and Madeline."
"I'm not worried about my mother but I haven't seen my father in several years. I'm not sure how he's going to be around me."
I pick up his hand cautiously and begin to gently rub circles on the back of it with my thumb. It might be a subtle one, but a public gesture is a public gesture. He doesn't seem to mind, though. Wrapping his fingers around mine, Malcolm squeezes my hand before looking directly into my eyes.
"Here they come."
Malcolm drops my hand entirely and stands up from the bench we're sitting on. I do the same and squinting into the sun, I catch my first glimpse of the only family Malcolm ever mentions.
"Hello, Malcolm. Pale as ever I see."
"It's good to see you, too, Maddie."
If this was my family, there'd be hugging, kissing of cheeks, and squealing voices. Instead, just flat conversation and no physical contact. And Madeline is the part of his family that Malcolm's close to. No wonder Malcolm flinched so much when we first started dating. He wasn't used to being touched. His sister moves out of the way so his parents can step forward. So this is Stuart and Mary Reed.
"Sir. Mother." Why am I not surprised that Malcolm calls his father 'sir'?
"Malcolm."
Everyone just stares at each other for a few heartbeats. This is definitely not going well. I can both see and hear Malcolm take a deep breath. "I'd like you to meet Travis Mayweather. My boyfriend."
His what? He called me... introduced me as... All of a sudden, everything starts move in slow motion like in a movie. I watch as a fist gets closer and closer. Oh, shit.
There's this sickening thud that reverberates inside my head as the fist connects with my nose. Did what I think just happened, happen? I don't know because just as my brain starts to recognize the sensation of pain, everything fades to black.
-------
"Ensign Mayweather?"
I can hear the voice but I don't recognize it. Slowly, I open my eyes and find myself looking into the vaguely familiar face of a blond-haired woman.
"Malcolm? He's conscious."
The blonde woman is replaced by a man I know very well. "Are you all right, Travis?"
I can't resist. "I'm fine. What happened?" I look around at my surroundings. It looks like we're in a bar of some sort. The last thing I remember is being outside in a park. "And where are we?"
"We're in a bar. Maddie and I carried you here after..." Malcolm's voice catches and he looks away from me. His cheeks are bright red with what I take to be embarrassment. "... after my father hit you."
That's what happened, isn't it. Malcolm introduced me as his boyfriend and his dad decided to punch me for it.
"Remind me to even the score later."
Malcolm looks back into my eyes. "Later?"
"Yeah, later. As in the next time we get together with him." His eyes go wide. In disbelieve, I think. What? Does he not expect me to be angry?
"Next time?" I can feel another pair of eyes on me. His sister. She's waiting for my response. Probably protecting her brother. But from what? Oh... I get it now. Malcolm expects me to leave him. To leave because his father is an asshole.
I want to reach out and pull Malcolm into my arms. Hold him, kiss him, all the things that are definitely on Malcolm's not-in-public list. So I settle for a quick brush of my fingers along his cheek. "Yep. He'd better be ready, too."
Relief takes over Malcolm's face almost instantaneously. He reaches up and runs his fingers across my cheek which I've just noticed is a bit sore. "Bloody good thing that Father hits like a girl."
"Don't make fun of girls, big brother. Especially when they bring you alcohol."
Madeline sets a tray with three mugs on the table that we're seated at and sits down in a chair opposite me.
"What happened after..." I'm really not too sure how to finish my question. 'After your father decided to take a swing at me' doesn't sound quite right.
Luckily, Malcolm knows what I'm getting at. "Father executed a perfect about-face and walked away in the direction that they came with my mother in tow."
"Enough of that." Madeline passes a mug to each of us. Taking a sip, I almost immediately spit back out the contents.
"It's warm!"
Malcolm just looks at me and rolls his eyes. "Of course."
"All right, Travis. We have a limited amount of time here so I must carry out my sisterly duties."
"Madeline..."
"Where to begin... How about the time Malcolm fell out of the tree in our front yard and lost his pants on the way down?"
I can feel a sadistic smile creeping onto my face. Embarrassing Malcolm stories. Blackmail fodder. And a peek into a never-mentioned past. "Semi-naked Malcolm is always a great place to start."
Malcolm reaches across the table and grabs the mug out of my hand. "If she's going to be telling stories, I'm going to need this more than you will."
-------
"Would anyone like to hear a ditty?"
"A ditty? That's it, Malcolm. No more."
"Okay."
Malcolm's quick submission should clue me in to the fact that he's up to something but it doesn't. Not until he's standing up on the small stage with a microphone in his hand.
"Oh, boy."
I start to walk over to the stage in order rescue the rest of the bar's patrons from Malcolm's singing when a hand on my shoulder stops me.
"I suppose this..." Madeline points to Malcolm, who's decided to open his set with an NC-17 version of 'Jingle Bells.'
"Jingle Bells. Wrinkly Balls..."
"...is your doing." Madeline's voice is monotone and her face is oddly blank. I guess Malcolm didn't get the entire family quota of poker faces.
"...A shag along the way..."
"Kinda, I guess." I think the blame mostly lies with the guiness.
Her face is instantly transformed by a huge smile as she leans over and kisses my cheek. "Thank you."
All of a sudden, Malcolm is right next to me and his arms are wrapped around my chest pulling me close. I can smell his alcohol-tinted breath as he turns to glare at his sister.
"He's mine, Maddie. I'm not sharing."
Something about Malcolm's drunken declaration makes my heart skip a beat. We haven't been together all that long and have been going incredibly slow with the whole 'relationship' thing. Too slow for my tastes but I'm not pushing Malcolm. I refuse to do so unless I think he needs it. Like making him visit sickbay or forcing him to eating a meal.
"I know that, Malcolm." She looks like she can hardly keep herself from laughing and I can't blame her. Especially when one of Malcolm's hands start wandering around. It's at this point that Madeline completely loses it. I suppose it's not every day she sees her currently plastered but still strait-laced brother groping his boyfriend's crotch in a public place.
"And this is definitely mine."
"Malcolm! Your hand does not belong there right now." Wiggling out of Malcolm's grip and batting his mischievous hand away, I drape one of my arms around his shoulders and motion at Madeline to do the same. Together we slowly start to maneuver ourselves and our drunken charge out of the bar.
"Why not? My hand likes it there." He whips his head around and leans over slightly toward Madeline. "But my mouth likes it there better."
"That's it, Malcolm. Come on, we're leaving." Madeline looks like a tomato; she's that red. Reminds me of her brother when he's embarrassed.
"I wanna sing another song!" Now I know Malcolm is very drunk. He's slurring his words. He looks cute like that, though. All petulant and flushed.
"Malcolm, you can't sing on-key when you're sober. Trust me, you don't sound any better just because there's alcohol in your system."
His response is a simple 'okay' before he passes out. Luckily, Madeline and I are able to keep our grips on him as we haul him out the door.
"You know, for someone who thinks a cup of tea and a couple of crackers constitute a meal, Malcolm sure does weigh a lot."
From the other side of Malcolm's head, I can hear laughing. "I'm Madeline Reed, by the way. Welcome to the family."
-fin-