#muse: morgan | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

deejayisms · 2 days ago

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so can we decide that we'll give it one more try, and we'll get it right this time || self-thread

WHO: Morgan Weston, with his parents, Cash & Anita Weston, and his sisters, Brodie and Peyton Weston (with mentions of Eva Anderson & Noah Puckerman)

WHERE: Cash & Anita's house

WHEN: 22nd of November

WHY: Morgan has dinner with his family, and news are revealed to everyone.

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of death

SONG INSPIRATION: Lawrence - Conflict Resolution

The Weston family dinners were always spirited, but tonight, the tension simmered hotter than Anita’s roasted chicken. Morgan sat at the table, one boot hooked over the other, his relaxed posture a thin disguise for the frustration knotting his chest. He nursed a glass of sweet tea, trying to focus on anything other than the conversation circling like vultures over a carcass.

He was the oldest of the Weston kids, with a few minutes ahead of Brodie, but in many ways, he’d always felt like the odd one out. His dad, Cash, was the quintessential American-made man, a stunt actor proud of his work, and the kind of man who lived by his calloused hands and his word. His mom was softer, a dreamer who still made time for everyone even when it drained her. His twin sister, Brodie, had inherited Cash’s grit, while Peyton - the baby of the family - was fiercely independent, a whirlwind who spoke her mind without apology.

And then there was Morgan. The happy-go-lucky cowboy, the black sheep who traded small-town life for Hollywood chaos, wrangling horses on movie sets while his siblings pursued steadier lives.

Across the table, Brodie was mid-sentence, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who knew she was about to win an argument. “So, it’s settled. We’re all going back to Montana for Thanksgiving. Granny needs us this year, no question about it.” Morgan froze, the fork stilling in his hand. “Hold up. We’re going to Montana? I thought we were staying in L.A. this year.”

Peyton, their younger sister, shot him a look. “Plans change, cowboy. You’d know that if you checked in every once in a while.” Brodie jumped in, her tone sharper. “It’s not a hard decision, Morgan.” The cowboy leaned back in his chair, forcing a grin. “I do check in. You just don’t answer. Can’t blame me for your bad phone habits.”

Peyton snorted. “Nice deflection, but this isn’t about us. It’s about you. What’s the deal, Morgan? Got some big Hollywood Thanksgiving gala you can’t miss?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “No, just work,” Morgan said, trying to keep his tone light. “Horses don’t wrangle themselves, y'know. And they sure don’t take holidays off.”

“That’s convenient,” Peyton muttered. Morgan set his glass down harder than he meant to, his grin fading. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, wanting- no, needing the truth to come out from his family now. “It means you always have an excuse,” Peyton shot back. “Work, L.A., whatever. You’re just avoiding Montana because it’s messy.”

“Messy?” Morgan raised an eyebrow. “You wanna talk about messy? Let’s talk about how y’all decided to change plans without even telling me.” He shot back at her, slightly pissed off that he wasn’t even filled in on it. “Maybe if you weren’t so busy chasing ghosts,” Peyton said, smirking, “you’d have noticed.” Morgan’s stomach sank, but his face stayed calm. “What ghosts?”

“Eva and Puck,” Peyton said, leaning forward. “You’re still hung up on them, aren’t you?” There it was; the news they’d probably been gossiping to each other, without Morgan knowing a damn thing about that. That was the disadvantage of Morgan having moved back to Montana when he was 17; his twin and younger sister had gotten tremendously closer, and he’d grown more apart from them. “Still?” Brodie cut in, her eyes narrowing. “Wait, weren’t you dating both of them? At the same time? How does that even work?”

“It’s called multitasking,” Morgan quipped, leaning back in his chair. “Something you wouldn’t know much about.” Peyton and Brodie groaned, but before they could retort, Anita’s gentle voice broke in. “Wait a minute. Who’s Eva and Puck?” She looked genuinely puzzled, glancing between her children. “Are they… friends of yours, Morgan?”

“Friends?” Peyton snickered, clearly relishing the drama. “More like his lovers. Both of them. At once.” Anita’s eyes widened, her fork pausing mid-air. “Oh, Morgan,” she said, half-shocked, half-curious. Across the table, Cash finally looked up from his plate, his rugged features hardening. “Is this true?” he asked, his voice low and gruff. “You were dating two people at the same time?” Morgan’s jaw tightened. He could feel the weight of his dad’s disapproval settling over the table. “Yeah, I was,” he said evenly. “I loved them both. Still do, actually.”

Cash set his glass down with a deliberate clink. “That doesn’t sound like love to me. Sounds like chaos.” Morgan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His tone was light but firm, his usual charm tempered by a rare steeliness. “Well, maybe it wasn’t perfect. Maybe I messed it up. But don’t sit there and act like I don’t know what love is. I know it better than most. Don’t forget, I lived with Granny and Grandpa, I saw what love should look like. And I felt it.”

Peyton raised an eyebrow. “So you’re still pining for them? Even after everything?” Morgan took a minute, hesitating slightly. It was such a long story, he wasns’t sure if he should get into it. “Call me sentimental, but when you love someone - or two someones - you don’t just stop. Not that you’d know, Pey, since you can barely commit to a Netflix series.” Brodie stifled a laugh as Peyton threw a crumpled napkin at him. “Real mature, cowboy.”

Across the table, Cash finally spoke, his voice low and firm. “That’s not love, son. That’s selfish.” Morgan’s head snapped toward his father, his usual easy charm slipping. “Selfish? You think loving people is selfish?” He asked, confused by that statement. “When you’re loving two people at the same time? Yeah,” Cash said, his tone like steel. “That’s not how it works, Morgan. You don’t string people along and call it love.”

“But I know how I feel, dad!” Morgan shot back, his voice rising. “I know that what I feel for them is real. And even if I can’t have them, I know that being in love with them is enough for me.” He tried to argue back, but his dad was quick with his next question. “Is it really enough?” Cash asked, his eyes narrowing. “Because you’re sat here, whining about them bein’ gone.”

Morgan flinched, but the fire in his eyes didn’t dim. “Yeah, they’re gone. And you know what? That’s on me. I screwed it up. But don’t sit there and act like you’ve never made mistakes in love. I’d rather have trouble than regrets. Isn’t that what you always say, Dad?” Cash leaned forward, his voice dropping into a growl. “Don’t turn this on me. I didn’t raise you to treat people like that.”

Morgan stood suddenly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Treat people like what? Like they mattered to me? Like I’d do anything for them? Because that’s what I did. And I’d do it again, no matter how messy it got. Besides, you didn’t raise me at all – you were gone, you were too busy with your career! Well, guess what, I’ve been there and I’ve done that too, and it’s a damn sad life. Y’know who raised me? Grandpa! He taught me that the most important thing you can do in life is to love. And I have enough love to give to two people. What have you got? Nothin’ for your own damn son!”

“Enough!” Anita’s voice cut through the room, silencing everyone. She looked between her son and husband, her face pale. “This is not the time for this.” Morgan glanced at her, his chest heaving, but he didn’t sit back down. Instead, he turned to Brodie and Peyton. “You don’t get it. Any of you. It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and point fingers, but you weren’t there. You didn’t see how good it was, how much it meant. So don’t sit there and judge me.”

Peyton folded her arms, her smirk replaced by unease. “We’re not judging- ” Morgan quickly cut her off. “Yes, you are,” He snapped. “But that’s fine. Judge away. I’m done explaining myself.” He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, turning toward the door. “Tell Grandma I’ll call her. And tell her I’ll visit when I can. But don’t expect me to roll over and apologize for lovin’ people just because it doesn’t fit into your neat little boxes.”

“Morgan,” Anita said softly, but he shook his head. “I’m not runnin’,” he said, his voice quieter now but no less firm. “I’ve got work. Commitments. But more than that, I’ve got my own damn life to live.”

With that, he walked out, the screen door slamming behind him.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Morgan stood outside, leaning against his truck as the cool evening air bit at his skin. He breathed deeply, staring up at the sky where the stars were barely visible through the haze of city lights. He'd needed a moment after all of that, before making a decision of whether to go back inside or to just leave. The door creaked open behind him, but he didn’t turn.

“Hey.” Peyton’s voice was softer now, hesitant. “Can we talk?” Morgan sighed, glancing at her as she stepped onto the porch. Brodie and Anita followed, the three of them looking uncharacteristically unsure. “Look, I get it,” Morgan said before they could start. “You think I’m a screw-up. That I don’t care enough about granny or family or whatever. But I do. More than you know.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Brodie said, holding up her hands. “Slow down. Nobody said you don’t care.” Peyton shifted awkwardly, her arms crossed. “Okay, maybe I was a little harsh.”

“A little?” Morgan quipped, raising an eyebrow. “Fine. A lot,” she admitted, kicking at the ground. “I guess I was just... frustrated. I mean, granny’s all alone, and I don’t know. It felt like you weren’t stepping up.” Morgan tilted his head, his voice steady but firm. “I am stepping up. Just not in the way you want me to. I’m doing the best I can, Pey. It might not look perfect, but it’s what I’ve got.”

Anita stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “We were wrong to come at you like that,” she said. “You’re an adult, Morgan. You’ve got your own life, and I know you love your family. We should’ve trusted that instead of piling on.” Morgan’s posture softened slightly, his shoulders dropping. “I get why you’re worried about granny. She’s grieving, and I hate not being there. But I can’t just drop everything overnight.”

Brodie stepped closer, her voice quieter. “We didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re not part of this family, Morgan. You’re as much a part of it as any of us.” Peyton sighed, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Even if you’re the one who always manages to dodge the tough stuff.”

Morgan smirked, the tension in his chest loosening. “I don’t dodge. I just... strategically retreat.” Brodie snorted, rolling her eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Anita gave him a soft smile, her hand still on his arm. “We’ll talk to granny, let her know you’re thinking of her.” Morgan’s grin returned, more genuine this time. “Yeah, because I’m her favorite, and y’all know it.”

“Don’t push it,” Peyton muttered, though she couldn’t hide her grin. He hesitated, then exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, too,” he said, his voice lower. “I didn’t mean to blow up at y’all. I guess-... I’ve been carrying a lot lately, and I don’t always know what to do with it.”

Brodie nodded, her expression softening. “We get it. And we’re sorry, too. For real.” Morgan looked between his mom and sisters, his chest tightening in a way that felt bittersweet. “Thanks,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, the four of them stood in the quiet night air, the tension from dinner dissolving like smoke. Peyton broke the silence with a grin. “So, are you gonna call granny first, or should we?”

Morgan laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll call her. She’ll want to hear it from me, anyway.” Brodie gave him a playful nudge. “And do something about that whole love triangle thing, it's depressing seein' you so down in the dumps when you could have it so good.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Morgan said, dismissing his twin. His eyes turned to his mom, and he gave her a small, hesitant smile. “He knows that I love him, right?” He asked, referring to his dad who was now all alone inside. “That I'm just upset because he's doubtin' my abilities to love-” Anita held a hand up, shaking her head. “I'll talk to him,” She said, calmly. “He'll get good again.”

Morgan nodded, before noticing the freezing cold air. “Get back inside, y'all, it's too cold out here,” He said, pulling Brodie into a one-armed hug before snagging Peyton into it too. Anita watched, smiling softly before Morgan reached out to pull her in as well. “I'll talk to you all later.” His mom embraced him, a hand moving to rub his back. “You’re a good man, Morgan,” she whispered. “Don’t let anyone - yourself included - make you forget that.” Morgan nodded, the lump in his throat too big for words, as he let the women of his family move back inside.

It wasn’t a perfect family, but it was enough for now. And as he watched them walk away, Morgan felt the ache in his chest ease just a little. Whatever else was messy in his life, this - his family - was worth every argument and every hard moment. They always had been.

#muse: morgan #morgan: thread #morgan: self-thread #morgan: self-thread007 #tw: mentions of death

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