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perpetual_motionTitle: Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Parents' Day [18/?]
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Law & Order [Manhattan Prep universe]
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Lupo, Jack/Mike Cutter, Mike/Connie
Summary: Jack, on Parents' Day, and Mike's parents.
Disclaimer: Bullshit and lies. As always.
Author's Note: As per the usual, some credit for this goes to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
amazonqueenkate, who was chatting with me when I laid down the basics. Mike Cutter, in high school, was probably an awkward kid, and the only person who really got him was his mock trial coach, Mr. McCoy. If you're not connecting the dots yet, you may want to get off the trolley. In short: High School AU, because it can be done.
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen Part Fifteen Part Sixteen Part Seventeen
**
Parents’ Day is a mixed bag at Manhattan Prep. Some of the parents know every nuance of their children’s lives on campus. Some of the parents seem to barely know the names of their children, and some parents fall into the middle range of so many parents of teenagers, where they simply look mildly lost and scared.
And then there’s John, who feels that every Parents’ Day needs to same rant.
“…drop of their kids and ignore them only to show up and pretend to-“
“John,” Fin says in the tone that tells Jack they’ve recently argued about something different, “shut up.”
“…give a damn,” John continues, giving Fin a challenging look.
Jack shares a long-suffering look with Lennie as they both get up from the table and head towards the door. “Some traditions,” Jack says and leaves it at that.
Lennie grins. “I’d say we tape his mouth shut next year.”
“He’d probably chew through it.”
Lennie chuckles. “But it may gum up the works for a little bit.”
Jack smiles at that as they step outside and head for the academic building. Already there are parents getting led around by their kids. Some asking questions. Some looking bored, and a few students just looking disappointed, no doubt they’ll be left to their own devices for the day. It’s the disappointed kids that make Jack see Munch’s point, and Jack makes a note to buy Munch a beer the next time they go into the city.
“Mr. McCoy! Mr. Briscoe!”
Both men turn at the sound of Ed Green’s shout. He’s leading his grandmother. She’s tall and imperious, even in jeans and sneakers, and she knows every trick her grandson pulls. She’s doting without being obnoxious and is, overall, well-liked.
“Mr. Green,” Jack greets him with a nod. He holds out his hand. “Mrs. Green. You’re looking lovely.”
“Always a flatterer, Mr. McCoy.” She shakes his hand firmly and does the same with Lennie. “Anything I need to know about Ed this trip?”
“He’s a rascal,” Lennie says, but it’s his usual answer.
Mrs. Green smiles and taps Ed on the top of his head. “Gets it from his grandfather.”
“Get it from you,” Ed says as he smiles and ducks out of her way.
“Scoundrel,” Mrs. Green says fondly as she waves at Jack and Lennie and allows Ed to lead her away. “And don’t forget to show me your new room,” they hear her insisting. “And I need to have a talk with Cyrus.”
“That poor kid,” Lennie says as they start walking again.
”Which one?”
Lennie barks a laugh. “Either, but more Cyrus. That kid…” he trails off, the lack of Cyrus’s family at any school event has spoken for itself over the years.
“It’ll be good for him,” Jack says as they enter the academic building around a throng of sight-seers. “He should get scared of the in-laws as early as possible.” Jack grins at the way Lennie shakes his head. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Sure.”
The morning is a collection of parents and students dropping in, a little bit of grading, and Jack double-checking the questions on his final exam. He shakes hands and makes nice and has conversations that make him want to tear out his hair because it’s so very obvious which parents actually converse with their children and which ones just leave them on campus just as Munch always predicts.
Just before eleven, Cyrus walks in, gives Jack a pained look, and settles at a desk. “Something I can do for you, Mr. Lupo?” Jack asks, but he already knows the answer. Cyrus camps out in a different teacher’s room every year during Parents’ Day. A few other students do the same, but Cyrus is the only one who rotates.
“I’m just hanging.”
Jack nods and goes back to his grading. Lupo sits quietly and reads a book. Jack considers putting him to work doing some of his filing, as long as he’s handy, but then Mike walks in, trailed by his parents, and Jack has to steel himself when Mike licks his lips in nervousness. Jack’s mind’s eye shows him Mike on his back on that hotel room bed.
Jack’s mind’s eye is apparently a bastard.
“Mr. Cutter,” he says because it’s safe.
“Hi, Mr. McCoy.” Mike doesn’t seem to know where to look. Every time he looks at Jack, he gets flushed on the tips of his ears. “My parents,” he says and waves in their general direction.
“Nice to meet you,” Jack says and shakes their hands. Mike’s nose and chin, Jack sees, comes from his father, and his eyes come from his mother. They both smile at Jack, and Jack smiles back. “Mr. Cutter is an excellent student.”
“He always has been.” Mrs. Cutter has a doting smile Jack can see is genuine. He wonders what her face would do if she knew what he had done to her son.
“We’ll be sad to lose him on the trial team,” Jack continues on auto-pilot. He can do this. He can talk to the Cutters as though he’s not seen their son in nothing but a towel. He can talk to them like he hasn’t had a beautiful, filthy moment in a restaurant bathroom. “Mr. Cutter has an excellent head for argument.”
“Don’t we know it,” Mr. Cutter says with a grin. “You should have heard some of the arguments about how he was going to finish high school.”
“Dad,” Mike winces in embarrassment. “Please, don’t.”
Mr. Cutter smiles at Jack. “It’s so easy to embarrass them at this age.”
Jack’s thinking that Mike doesn’t embarrass easily at all. Not that he’d inform Mr. Cutter how he knows. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’ll do well.”
“C’mon,” Mike says suddenly, feet shuffling as he backpedals towards the door. “I’ve got other teachers.”
“Mike, don’t be rude,” Mrs. Cutter admonishes in the way of well-raised mothers everywhere. She gives Jack an apologetic smile. “I hope he’s not like this when he’s in class.”
“No,” Jack says with a completely straight face, his mind flashing to Mike crawling into his chair. “He really is a very good student.”
“Good.” Mrs. Cutter waves goodbye as they all exit the room.
Jack sits back in his chair and is in the middle of a deep, cleansing breath when he realizes that Cyrus Lupo is still in the room. And Cyrus Lupo is giving him a hard look. “Yes, Mr. Lupo?”
“I know about,” Cyrus makes an aborted gesture that could be directed at the desk or the lights or even the door. “Mike’s told me.”
Jack’s deep, cleansing breath seems to retreat from his body. He nearly chokes for a moment before placing his hands firmly on the desktop and giving Cyrus his best professional look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Lupo.”
“You do, too.” Cyrus shrugs, one shoulder lifting and dropping in a light, inelegant move. “I don’t care. I just wanted you to know that I know.”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Lupo?”
“I dunno,” Cyrus says as he stands and leaves in what seems to be a dramatic fashion.
Jack lets himself slump into his chair, and this time the cleansing breath doesn’t get stuck. It also doesn’t do much to calm him. He rattles his fingers against the desktop and glares at his final exam. Another breath doesn’t do anything but make him mildly light headed.
“Jack.”
Jack looks up. Lennie’s in the doorway looking slightly concerned. “Yeah?”
“You were zoning. Everything-“
“It’s fine,” Jack cuts in because he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “Lunchtime?”
Lennie considers pushing, but it’s not the time or place, and he’s fairly certain he can pick out the issue without jabbing at Jack. “Yeah. Come on. I’m sure Munch has a list of faults of the day.”
“Great.” Jack levers himself out of his chair and claps Lennie on the shoulder as they walk down the hall. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Part Nineteen
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Law & Order [Manhattan Prep universe]
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Lupo, Jack/Mike Cutter, Mike/Connie
Summary: Jack, on Parents' Day, and Mike's parents.
Disclaimer: Bullshit and lies. As always.
Author's Note: As per the usual, some credit for this goes to
amazonqueenkate, who was chatting with me when I laid down the basics. Mike Cutter, in high school, was probably an awkward kid, and the only person who really got him was his mock trial coach, Mr. McCoy. If you're not connecting the dots yet, you may want to get off the trolley. In short: High School AU, because it can be done.Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen Part Fifteen Part Sixteen Part Seventeen
**
Parents’ Day is a mixed bag at Manhattan Prep. Some of the parents know every nuance of their children’s lives on campus. Some of the parents seem to barely know the names of their children, and some parents fall into the middle range of so many parents of teenagers, where they simply look mildly lost and scared.
And then there’s John, who feels that every Parents’ Day needs to same rant.
“…drop of their kids and ignore them only to show up and pretend to-“
“John,” Fin says in the tone that tells Jack they’ve recently argued about something different, “shut up.”
“…give a damn,” John continues, giving Fin a challenging look.
Jack shares a long-suffering look with Lennie as they both get up from the table and head towards the door. “Some traditions,” Jack says and leaves it at that.
Lennie grins. “I’d say we tape his mouth shut next year.”
“He’d probably chew through it.”
Lennie chuckles. “But it may gum up the works for a little bit.”
Jack smiles at that as they step outside and head for the academic building. Already there are parents getting led around by their kids. Some asking questions. Some looking bored, and a few students just looking disappointed, no doubt they’ll be left to their own devices for the day. It’s the disappointed kids that make Jack see Munch’s point, and Jack makes a note to buy Munch a beer the next time they go into the city.
“Mr. McCoy! Mr. Briscoe!”
Both men turn at the sound of Ed Green’s shout. He’s leading his grandmother. She’s tall and imperious, even in jeans and sneakers, and she knows every trick her grandson pulls. She’s doting without being obnoxious and is, overall, well-liked.
“Mr. Green,” Jack greets him with a nod. He holds out his hand. “Mrs. Green. You’re looking lovely.”
“Always a flatterer, Mr. McCoy.” She shakes his hand firmly and does the same with Lennie. “Anything I need to know about Ed this trip?”
“He’s a rascal,” Lennie says, but it’s his usual answer.
Mrs. Green smiles and taps Ed on the top of his head. “Gets it from his grandfather.”
“Get it from you,” Ed says as he smiles and ducks out of her way.
“Scoundrel,” Mrs. Green says fondly as she waves at Jack and Lennie and allows Ed to lead her away. “And don’t forget to show me your new room,” they hear her insisting. “And I need to have a talk with Cyrus.”
“That poor kid,” Lennie says as they start walking again.
”Which one?”
Lennie barks a laugh. “Either, but more Cyrus. That kid…” he trails off, the lack of Cyrus’s family at any school event has spoken for itself over the years.
“It’ll be good for him,” Jack says as they enter the academic building around a throng of sight-seers. “He should get scared of the in-laws as early as possible.” Jack grins at the way Lennie shakes his head. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Sure.”
The morning is a collection of parents and students dropping in, a little bit of grading, and Jack double-checking the questions on his final exam. He shakes hands and makes nice and has conversations that make him want to tear out his hair because it’s so very obvious which parents actually converse with their children and which ones just leave them on campus just as Munch always predicts.
Just before eleven, Cyrus walks in, gives Jack a pained look, and settles at a desk. “Something I can do for you, Mr. Lupo?” Jack asks, but he already knows the answer. Cyrus camps out in a different teacher’s room every year during Parents’ Day. A few other students do the same, but Cyrus is the only one who rotates.
“I’m just hanging.”
Jack nods and goes back to his grading. Lupo sits quietly and reads a book. Jack considers putting him to work doing some of his filing, as long as he’s handy, but then Mike walks in, trailed by his parents, and Jack has to steel himself when Mike licks his lips in nervousness. Jack’s mind’s eye shows him Mike on his back on that hotel room bed.
Jack’s mind’s eye is apparently a bastard.
“Mr. Cutter,” he says because it’s safe.
“Hi, Mr. McCoy.” Mike doesn’t seem to know where to look. Every time he looks at Jack, he gets flushed on the tips of his ears. “My parents,” he says and waves in their general direction.
“Nice to meet you,” Jack says and shakes their hands. Mike’s nose and chin, Jack sees, comes from his father, and his eyes come from his mother. They both smile at Jack, and Jack smiles back. “Mr. Cutter is an excellent student.”
“He always has been.” Mrs. Cutter has a doting smile Jack can see is genuine. He wonders what her face would do if she knew what he had done to her son.
“We’ll be sad to lose him on the trial team,” Jack continues on auto-pilot. He can do this. He can talk to the Cutters as though he’s not seen their son in nothing but a towel. He can talk to them like he hasn’t had a beautiful, filthy moment in a restaurant bathroom. “Mr. Cutter has an excellent head for argument.”
“Don’t we know it,” Mr. Cutter says with a grin. “You should have heard some of the arguments about how he was going to finish high school.”
“Dad,” Mike winces in embarrassment. “Please, don’t.”
Mr. Cutter smiles at Jack. “It’s so easy to embarrass them at this age.”
Jack’s thinking that Mike doesn’t embarrass easily at all. Not that he’d inform Mr. Cutter how he knows. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’ll do well.”
“C’mon,” Mike says suddenly, feet shuffling as he backpedals towards the door. “I’ve got other teachers.”
“Mike, don’t be rude,” Mrs. Cutter admonishes in the way of well-raised mothers everywhere. She gives Jack an apologetic smile. “I hope he’s not like this when he’s in class.”
“No,” Jack says with a completely straight face, his mind flashing to Mike crawling into his chair. “He really is a very good student.”
“Good.” Mrs. Cutter waves goodbye as they all exit the room.
Jack sits back in his chair and is in the middle of a deep, cleansing breath when he realizes that Cyrus Lupo is still in the room. And Cyrus Lupo is giving him a hard look. “Yes, Mr. Lupo?”
“I know about,” Cyrus makes an aborted gesture that could be directed at the desk or the lights or even the door. “Mike’s told me.”
Jack’s deep, cleansing breath seems to retreat from his body. He nearly chokes for a moment before placing his hands firmly on the desktop and giving Cyrus his best professional look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Lupo.”
“You do, too.” Cyrus shrugs, one shoulder lifting and dropping in a light, inelegant move. “I don’t care. I just wanted you to know that I know.”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Lupo?”
“I dunno,” Cyrus says as he stands and leaves in what seems to be a dramatic fashion.
Jack lets himself slump into his chair, and this time the cleansing breath doesn’t get stuck. It also doesn’t do much to calm him. He rattles his fingers against the desktop and glares at his final exam. Another breath doesn’t do anything but make him mildly light headed.
“Jack.”
Jack looks up. Lennie’s in the doorway looking slightly concerned. “Yeah?”
“You were zoning. Everything-“
“It’s fine,” Jack cuts in because he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “Lunchtime?”
Lennie considers pushing, but it’s not the time or place, and he’s fairly certain he can pick out the issue without jabbing at Jack. “Yeah. Come on. I’m sure Munch has a list of faults of the day.”
“Great.” Jack levers himself out of his chair and claps Lennie on the shoulder as they walk down the hall. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Part Nineteen
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no subject
on 2008-05-22 07:57 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-05-21 11:07 pm (UTC)When you described Ed's grandmother as "tall and imperious," the first person to pop into my head was Nichelle Nichols (even though she's not tall). Am I even in the ballpark?