chaletian: (lom grumpy emo)
[personal profile] chaletian
Title: Lipstick
Fandom(s): Life on Mars
Pairing:Gene/The Missus
Rating: White Cortina
Spoilers: 2x04



She stands by the laundry basket, a pile of whites at her feet, and holds the shirt up so the late afternoon light streams through the bedroom window, haloing Gene’s very unangelic shirt in a golden glow. The lipstick is red, bold, and very definitely not hers. She fishes out the vest Gene was wearing last night, and her left eyebrow lifts slightly. There is lipstick on that as well. She considers making an educated guess as to which pants he was wearing, but decides against it.

The door bangs downstairs. She checks the clock on the chest-of-drawers: half past four. Gene’s back early.

“I’m home,” he calls out, as if his heavy-handed slamming of the front door hadn’t been enough to alert her to this fact.

“I’m upstairs,” she replies in kind, and stands still and listening as he strides up the stairs, kissing her soundly on the cheek. He’s in a good mood – must have caught the man murdering those poor girls, then. Gene doesn’t tell her much about work – about the people and politics, yes, but not often about the actual cases – but she’d read about this one in the papers, and Gene had warned her not to go out alone in the dark.

“Have a nice day?” she asks mildly, looking up at her husband, but his eyes are fixed on the shirt in her hands, and there’s – yes, there’s something that in another man might be termed a blush, rising strong and vivid on his cheeks.

“Now, look here,” he starts uneasily, then gaining confidence in bluster, “we were undertaking surveillance, all right? Undercover, like.”

“Oh, aye?” she says, that left eyebrow again proving its worth. “Undercover in a brothel, were you?” She wouldn’t be surprised about the brothel part, though the undercover part was new. The Gene she knew tended to roar in, guns blazing. Not literally, fortunately. Gene just shrugged, however.

“Something like that.” He sits down and starts pulling off his shoes and tie, and she decides to take it further. She doesn’t for one moment think that he’s been unfaithful: the very concept is foreign to her. Gene’s many things – and she’ll be the first to admit that he’s a bit of a liability when it comes to the WI, though he gets away with a lot of things by being a DCI, which the other women seem to find very glamorous, even in her very unglamorous husband – but an adulterer is not one of them. But he was blushing, and that sort of opportunity is too good to pass up. She shakes her head sorrowfully.

“Ee, Gene, they didn’t have you dressing up as one of those rent boys, did they? Because that’s above and beyond the call of duty.” He sits up, bolt upright, indignant to the core.

“A rent boy! Bloody hell, woman, where have you been hearing about things like that?” She shrugs airily, and resumes the laundry sorting.

“Oh, you hear things you wouldn’t believe down at the church hall. Gigolos, that’s what they’re called, you know.” She picks up the shirt again, even as Gene makes a futile grab for it. “I wouldn’t call this very undercover though, love. You should have had someone down at the station sort something out for you. A bit jazzier, like some of those lads down by the canal.” She throws it on top of the rest of the laundry, and scoops the whole lot into her arms. A sideways glance shows her that Gene looks about ready to explode, and she can’t resist a smile. “Still, you should be more careful about people leaving lipstick all over your smalls.” He stands up, unbuttons his shirt, and points to the collar.

“Go on, then.” She smiles again, demurely, and presses a light kiss to the spot, leaving behind the faintest smudge of pink lipstick. Gene pulls off the shirt, and adds it to her pile.

“Swingers party, all right? Bloody ridiculous. I almost got eaten alive. All Tyler’s idea. Surveillance,” he sneers, and she smiles, because she hears more about Sam Tyler than all the rest put together these days.

“Swingers, eh? I’ve heard about them.”

“Well, don’t go getting any ideas.” He leans in, kisses her again, hard, on the mouth this time, and she kisses him back, then fends him off with her armful of laundry.

“Give over! I’m busy.” She sashays out of the bedroom, and is half way down the stairs when she hears Gene’s voice raised in plaintive lament.

“What’s for tea?” She smiles, and ignores him, and carries on with the laundry.

Date: 2007-03-14 03:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sciosophia.livejournal.com
Oh, that was very lovely! I love how you got Gene's character down perfectly, and I adore the character that you've given Gene's wife - just as I would have imagined her.

Luuurverly.

Date: 2007-03-14 04:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] galacticowl.livejournal.com
This was well written and it's good to see a side of Gene that we don't usually see. His interaction with his wife is what I would expect but are we left to wonder if he has been unfaithful. It seems that he has been but we don't know for sure. That was cleverly done.

I very much enjoyed reading it!

Sandie

Date: 2007-03-14 04:22 pm (UTC)
loz: (Life on Mars (Gene 2))
From: [personal profile] loz
I love this. Eeeee! The way you write Gene's wife makes me very, very happy, and this is so exactly how I picture their relationship, it makes me giddy. Thank you!

Date: 2007-03-14 06:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dancesontrains.livejournal.com
Gene's wife was naive and knowing at exactly the same time.Not how I imagined her,but it suits.Well done!

Date: 2007-03-14 06:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lo0o0ony-lauren.livejournal.com
Cute! You gave The Missus a wonderfully believable persona, and the whole thing is just adorable.

Date: 2007-03-14 06:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lm-jillybean.livejournal.com
What a very cute story, I liked it!

Date: 2007-03-14 07:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chelseagirl.livejournal.com
Really nice -- Gene's wife seems exactly right for how I imagine her, and their interaction is great.

Date: 2007-03-14 10:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] burntcopper.livejournal.com
Hee. Gewne's wife is a wonderful, wonderful woman.

Date: 2007-03-15 04:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tamrinm.livejournal.com
I love how you have Gene's wife be understanding and Gene actually having a lot of affection for her. It's nice to see a different side of Gene.

Date: 2007-03-15 05:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meli-64.livejournal.com
Oh brilliant man!

Date: 2007-03-15 06:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] strangeumbrella.livejournal.com
I love this. Interesting to see someone appearing to be charge of Gene for a change, too. :D

Date: 2007-03-19 07:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pink-bagels.livejournal.com
Absolutely lovely fic that explores the relationship Gene may have with his Missus. I love her sassy attitude--she's a bit Shirley Valentine :P

Date: 2007-04-09 02:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jantalaimon.livejournal.com
Apologies for the lateness of this, but I've only just seen S2.04 this weekend and I've been avoiding spoilers like you wouldn't believe. :)

This is utterly and totally fantastic and if this isn't canon, it should be. I'd love to see this as an out-take on the DVD box actually. Absolutely fantastic. :D ♥♥♥

Date: 2008-06-10 03:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hackthis.livejournal.com
This was recommended over at [livejournal.com profile] crack_van, and rightly so, it's perfectly executed, well done.

Saw this recced on Crack Van

Date: 2008-06-10 03:59 pm (UTC)
tree_and_leaf: Text icon: "and I'll say again, only slightly louder... HOW?" (I'll say again - how?)
From: [personal profile] tree_and_leaf
Nice take on a totally unknown character - rather how I always imagined them, with the Missus a good deal tougher and less in need of protection than Gene would like to believe. I also like the way you show a softer side of Gene that's still believable as him.

Date: 2008-06-10 06:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rach74.livejournal.com
lovely story :)

You've got gene perfectly and I like the insight into his wife :)

Date: 2015-08-22 05:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darth-vantala.livejournal.com
Still love this one over all the years passed))

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