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perpetual_motionTitle: Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Anniversary Shopping [20/24]
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Law & Order [Manhattan Prep universe]
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Lupo, Jack/Mike Cutter, Mike/Connie
Summary: Jack's back, and so's the angst
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 Part Eighteen Part Nineteen
Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Anniversary Shopping [20/24]
When Lupo walks in and flops on Mike’s bed, Mike doesn’t bother looking up from his computer screen. Lupo flopping onto his bed has become such common practice Mike doesn’t even bother with a greeting until Lupo sighs and announces:
“I have to buy him something.”
“Who?” Mike asks while hitting save on his computer.
“Ed. We’ve been, you know, for three months. I have to buy him something.”
“Why?”
“Because.” Lupo shrugs when Mike finally looks at him. “Because.”
Mike wonders just how much is behind Lupo’s “because”. He decides it’s best to be pro-active. Getting Lupo to explain his logic can get a bit…loopy. And Mike makes a face at his own phrasing. “When’s the next bus for the city?”
“An hour.”
“Lemme find my shoes.”
Lupo blinks and rolls over to watch Mike dig under his bed. “What are you doing?”
“Finding my shoes,” Mike’s voice is muffled as he reaches a little further. “I think one’s way back here.”
Lupo blinks again. “We’re going now?”
Mike comes out from under the bed, dust bunnies caught in hair and shoes in his hands. “Yeah.” He squints at Lupo. “I’ve got time. You’ve got time, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Look, if we go now, we’ve got most of the day to find something, and you’re gonna need a lot of time, probably. Right?”
Lupo considers it. “Yeah. Probably.”
”So let’s go.”
“But, I…I dunno what to get him.”
Mike pauses at that. “You don’t?”
“No.”
“Then why do you want to get him something?” Mike laughs when Lupo blushes. “Oh, man. You don’t-“
“Shaddup.”
Mike snaps his mouth shut and fights back the laugh. “Okay. Sorry.”
“Dick,” Lupo says, but there’s no malice.
“Sorry,” Mike says again as he grabs his wallet. “You still wanna go?”
“Yeah.” Lupo clambers off Mike’s bed and rearranges his T-shirt. “But you can’t tell Ed.”
“Sure,” Mike says and follows Lupo out of the room.
They grab a quick lunch in the cafeteria before they board the bus, and Mike pretends not to notice the way Lupo can’t stop tapping his feet and cracking his knuckles all the way into the city.
“Where do we start?” Lupo asks like Mike knows what they’re doing.
Mike turns around in a circle, trying to pick a route that will be beneficial to any degree. “Bookstore?”
“Nah.”
“Sports equipment?”
Lupo wrinkles his nose. “The stuff he has smells bad enough.”
There’s a second-hand shop on the corner, and Mike grabs Lupo’s arm. “We’ll start there. Places like that always have weird stuff.”
“Weird would be good.”
Mike laughs. “Yeah, I bet.”
The second-hand shop is a mess of unmatched shelves and dusty counter tops. The man behind the counter looks up from his newspaper and decides, with the way he drops his eyes back to the business section, that the boys are not worth his concern.
“Split up,” Mike says because Lupo’s wide eyes tell him he has to take charge. “Holler if you find anything.”
“Okay.” Lupo looks left, then right, and finally ducks down the aisle he’s already facing.
Mike heads for the far side of the store, wrinkling his nose to keep from sneezing. He ends up in a book aisle that is sharing space with a collection of old dolls. Mike tries not to look at the dolls and tries to remember if he’s seen Ed read anything that isn’t a textbook. Ed’s usually more of Halo guy when he’s not dragging Mike and Lupo to go play a game of catch. Mike rounds the aisle and starts up the next. He loses himself in a collection of musty National Geographics and only comes out of it when Lupo nudges him in the leg.
“Found something,” Lupo says, and holds out a baseball.
It’s tempting to point out that Ed has enough baseballs that he hasn’t noticed when Mike’s secretly gotten rid of a few, but Mike takes the ball and rolls it over in his hands, wanting to see what makes this particularly ball so special.
WILMER FIELDS is printed neatly between the stitching, and underneath the printing is a smudged signature.
“Who’s Wilmer Fields?” Mike asks.
“He played in the Negro Leagues. Ed’s grandpa saw him play once.” Lupo shuffles his feet and clenches his hands. “Do you think it’s okay?”
Mike’s experience in buying gifts for people extends no further than his parents on their respective birthdays. “I think it’s great,” he says, because he can’t imagine Ed not thinking it’s awesome.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Mike says and stands. “Come on, let’s buy it and go waste some time.”
The guy at the counter gives them both a solid once-over when they step up to the register. “You boys ready?”
“Yes, sir,” Lupo says and wipes his hands on his pants after he puts the ball on the counter.
The man picks up the ball and turns it over in his hands. He gives Lupo a long look. “This better be an important gift.”
“It is.” Lupo swallows. “It’s for my, um, my boyfriend.”
Mike watches the man’s eyebrows raise and feels a prickle up his spine, ready to grab Lupo and bolt for the door if it’s necessary.
“Anniversary?” The man says nonchalantly.
“Just because,” and Lupo’s staring at the counter like it’s going to do a trick.
“That’s nice,” the man hits the register keys and puts the ball into a brown sack. “nine-fifty, even.”
Lupo hands over a ten, the man gives him change, and Mike and Lupo hurry out the door.
They’re halfway down the block before Lupo starts laughing, rolling his eyes and glancing at Mike. “God, I’m such a girl.”
“Maybe a little,” Mike says just to make Lupo laugh harder. Something’s weighing on Mike’s shoulders, and he tries to shrug it off. “Ed will like it.”
“You okay?” Lupo asks, eyebrows pulling together as he stops in the middle of the sidewalk and looks at Mike. “You look…weird.”
It’s hitting Mike like a ton of bricks that Lupo’s gift for Ed, simple as it is, isn’t something that Mike can do even if he had any sort of ridiculous chance with Mr. McCoy. Gifts would be out of the question. Hell, even talking would be out of the question. Mike feels his chest clench up, and he tries to breathe deep. He’s not aware of Lupo reacting until he’s pulled into a dim, claustrophobic bookshop and comes to his senses somewhere in the mystery section.
“Mike,” Lupo whispers like they’re in a library, “you okay?”
“Fine,” Mike mutters.
Lupo cocks his head and recognizes something in the way Mike’s shoulders are bowed forward. “Oh, shit, man. You’ve got it bad.”
“Shaddup,” Mike says because he very intensely does not want to talk about it.
“Hey, man,” Lupo punches Mike on the shoulder so that he’ll look at him, even if it is a glare. “Look, you were cool with my whole Ed thing. I’m cool with your…thing. You know. About the guy.”
“It’s stupid, you know? I just don’t have a chance.”
Lupo shrugs. “I didn’t think I did.”
“Dude, teacher.”
Lupo rolls his eyes. “Dude, jock.”
It’s not an argument he’s going to win, Mike knows. He breathes in; he breathes out. He rearranges his shoulders and knocks Lupo in the shoulder. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
“Hold on.” Lupo gives Mike a hard look. “We’re good, yeah?”
“Sure.”
“And seriously, man, you can talk to me. I’m not gonna freak or anything.”
“I know,” Mike says and lets Lupo lead him back outside. There’s still a heaviness in him, but Mike fights it down. Unrequited sucks, but at least Lupo kind of gets it.
Part Twenty-One
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Law & Order [Manhattan Prep universe]
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Lupo, Jack/Mike Cutter, Mike/Connie
Summary: Jack's back, and so's the angst
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 Part Eighteen Part Nineteen
Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Anniversary Shopping [20/24]
When Lupo walks in and flops on Mike’s bed, Mike doesn’t bother looking up from his computer screen. Lupo flopping onto his bed has become such common practice Mike doesn’t even bother with a greeting until Lupo sighs and announces:
“I have to buy him something.”
“Who?” Mike asks while hitting save on his computer.
“Ed. We’ve been, you know, for three months. I have to buy him something.”
“Why?”
“Because.” Lupo shrugs when Mike finally looks at him. “Because.”
Mike wonders just how much is behind Lupo’s “because”. He decides it’s best to be pro-active. Getting Lupo to explain his logic can get a bit…loopy. And Mike makes a face at his own phrasing. “When’s the next bus for the city?”
“An hour.”
“Lemme find my shoes.”
Lupo blinks and rolls over to watch Mike dig under his bed. “What are you doing?”
“Finding my shoes,” Mike’s voice is muffled as he reaches a little further. “I think one’s way back here.”
Lupo blinks again. “We’re going now?”
Mike comes out from under the bed, dust bunnies caught in hair and shoes in his hands. “Yeah.” He squints at Lupo. “I’ve got time. You’ve got time, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Look, if we go now, we’ve got most of the day to find something, and you’re gonna need a lot of time, probably. Right?”
Lupo considers it. “Yeah. Probably.”
”So let’s go.”
“But, I…I dunno what to get him.”
Mike pauses at that. “You don’t?”
“No.”
“Then why do you want to get him something?” Mike laughs when Lupo blushes. “Oh, man. You don’t-“
“Shaddup.”
Mike snaps his mouth shut and fights back the laugh. “Okay. Sorry.”
“Dick,” Lupo says, but there’s no malice.
“Sorry,” Mike says again as he grabs his wallet. “You still wanna go?”
“Yeah.” Lupo clambers off Mike’s bed and rearranges his T-shirt. “But you can’t tell Ed.”
“Sure,” Mike says and follows Lupo out of the room.
They grab a quick lunch in the cafeteria before they board the bus, and Mike pretends not to notice the way Lupo can’t stop tapping his feet and cracking his knuckles all the way into the city.
“Where do we start?” Lupo asks like Mike knows what they’re doing.
Mike turns around in a circle, trying to pick a route that will be beneficial to any degree. “Bookstore?”
“Nah.”
“Sports equipment?”
Lupo wrinkles his nose. “The stuff he has smells bad enough.”
There’s a second-hand shop on the corner, and Mike grabs Lupo’s arm. “We’ll start there. Places like that always have weird stuff.”
“Weird would be good.”
Mike laughs. “Yeah, I bet.”
The second-hand shop is a mess of unmatched shelves and dusty counter tops. The man behind the counter looks up from his newspaper and decides, with the way he drops his eyes back to the business section, that the boys are not worth his concern.
“Split up,” Mike says because Lupo’s wide eyes tell him he has to take charge. “Holler if you find anything.”
“Okay.” Lupo looks left, then right, and finally ducks down the aisle he’s already facing.
Mike heads for the far side of the store, wrinkling his nose to keep from sneezing. He ends up in a book aisle that is sharing space with a collection of old dolls. Mike tries not to look at the dolls and tries to remember if he’s seen Ed read anything that isn’t a textbook. Ed’s usually more of Halo guy when he’s not dragging Mike and Lupo to go play a game of catch. Mike rounds the aisle and starts up the next. He loses himself in a collection of musty National Geographics and only comes out of it when Lupo nudges him in the leg.
“Found something,” Lupo says, and holds out a baseball.
It’s tempting to point out that Ed has enough baseballs that he hasn’t noticed when Mike’s secretly gotten rid of a few, but Mike takes the ball and rolls it over in his hands, wanting to see what makes this particularly ball so special.
WILMER FIELDS is printed neatly between the stitching, and underneath the printing is a smudged signature.
“Who’s Wilmer Fields?” Mike asks.
“He played in the Negro Leagues. Ed’s grandpa saw him play once.” Lupo shuffles his feet and clenches his hands. “Do you think it’s okay?”
Mike’s experience in buying gifts for people extends no further than his parents on their respective birthdays. “I think it’s great,” he says, because he can’t imagine Ed not thinking it’s awesome.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Mike says and stands. “Come on, let’s buy it and go waste some time.”
The guy at the counter gives them both a solid once-over when they step up to the register. “You boys ready?”
“Yes, sir,” Lupo says and wipes his hands on his pants after he puts the ball on the counter.
The man picks up the ball and turns it over in his hands. He gives Lupo a long look. “This better be an important gift.”
“It is.” Lupo swallows. “It’s for my, um, my boyfriend.”
Mike watches the man’s eyebrows raise and feels a prickle up his spine, ready to grab Lupo and bolt for the door if it’s necessary.
“Anniversary?” The man says nonchalantly.
“Just because,” and Lupo’s staring at the counter like it’s going to do a trick.
“That’s nice,” the man hits the register keys and puts the ball into a brown sack. “nine-fifty, even.”
Lupo hands over a ten, the man gives him change, and Mike and Lupo hurry out the door.
They’re halfway down the block before Lupo starts laughing, rolling his eyes and glancing at Mike. “God, I’m such a girl.”
“Maybe a little,” Mike says just to make Lupo laugh harder. Something’s weighing on Mike’s shoulders, and he tries to shrug it off. “Ed will like it.”
“You okay?” Lupo asks, eyebrows pulling together as he stops in the middle of the sidewalk and looks at Mike. “You look…weird.”
It’s hitting Mike like a ton of bricks that Lupo’s gift for Ed, simple as it is, isn’t something that Mike can do even if he had any sort of ridiculous chance with Mr. McCoy. Gifts would be out of the question. Hell, even talking would be out of the question. Mike feels his chest clench up, and he tries to breathe deep. He’s not aware of Lupo reacting until he’s pulled into a dim, claustrophobic bookshop and comes to his senses somewhere in the mystery section.
“Mike,” Lupo whispers like they’re in a library, “you okay?”
“Fine,” Mike mutters.
Lupo cocks his head and recognizes something in the way Mike’s shoulders are bowed forward. “Oh, shit, man. You’ve got it bad.”
“Shaddup,” Mike says because he very intensely does not want to talk about it.
“Hey, man,” Lupo punches Mike on the shoulder so that he’ll look at him, even if it is a glare. “Look, you were cool with my whole Ed thing. I’m cool with your…thing. You know. About the guy.”
“It’s stupid, you know? I just don’t have a chance.”
Lupo shrugs. “I didn’t think I did.”
“Dude, teacher.”
Lupo rolls his eyes. “Dude, jock.”
It’s not an argument he’s going to win, Mike knows. He breathes in; he breathes out. He rearranges his shoulders and knocks Lupo in the shoulder. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
“Hold on.” Lupo gives Mike a hard look. “We’re good, yeah?”
“Sure.”
“And seriously, man, you can talk to me. I’m not gonna freak or anything.”
“I know,” Mike says and lets Lupo lead him back outside. There’s still a heaviness in him, but Mike fights it down. Unrequited sucks, but at least Lupo kind of gets it.
Part Twenty-One
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2008-08-02 12:46 am (UTC)Aww. Yes, Lupo is adorable. And Ed would definitely like the baseball ... (flashing back to the ep of *The X-Files* in which Jesse guest-starred....)
no subject
on 2008-08-02 05:29 am (UTC)[I've not seen that x-files. Wonder if I can find it online...]
no subject
on 2008-08-02 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-08-02 02:05 am (UTC)Lupo rolls his eyes. “Dude, jock.”
I love you so very much. :-)
no subject
on 2008-08-02 05:30 am (UTC)I love that line so much it's a little embarrassing. I wrote something like half a paragraph of bonding and went, "No, wait, these are teenage boys, so then most of it got canned, and in the end, it was the same point.
no subject
on 2008-08-02 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-08-02 07:38 pm (UTC)