Fic: The Assignment
Title: The Assignment
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1765
Disclaimer: I claim nothing that ATWT has claim to. I claim everything else.
Summary AU. Luke's first assignment at Oakdale U provides an unexpected surprise.
Notes: Written for the what_did_you_do prompt meme using the prompt "Give me a break, will ya!" from daan73.
"Gimme a break," Luke groaned in frustration.
"What was that, Mr. Snyder?"
"Nothing," Luke sputtered, not having realized he'd been loud enough for Professor Kelly to hear.
"That's what I thought," the man answered knowingly.
It was the first assignment of the first day of the first year of Luke Snyder's collegiate career, and already things were taking a nosedive. When the professor had handed out the syllabus at the beginning of class, Luke immediately spied the semester-long project. It was worth half their grade, and required each student to work with a partner all term to give an in-depth presentation on their chosen moment in American history.
The assignment hadn't troubled Luke on paper. If anything, the thought of telling a story of his choosing to the entire class enthused him. Until the professor began pairing the students up, rather than allowing them to select their own partners.
Luke had assumed he'd work with Casey. Or that they at least would partner up, even if Luke ended up carrying the bulk of the workload. That was fine with him; he was particular about his schoolwork, and would happily exert maximum effort if it meant maximum creative control.
As Professor Kelly continued giving partner assignments, Luke scanned the classroom. He didn't know which of these strangers to wish for as a partner. A girl seemed the safest bet. In his experience they were more apt to take their studies seriously, but more importantly, less likely to be homophobic.
Still, they'd also probably expect an equal say in the project. Casey, on the other hand, would've been amenable to Luke's wishes, and content to ride his studious coattails. With his own ideas already forming for the direction he wanted to take the assignment, what Luke really needed was a substitute Casey.
Luke took inventory of the students around him yet to be partnered. There were a few promising meathead-types available, the kind who probably thought class time was an unwelcome distraction from their football training schedules. There was a greater risk of intolerance in that demographic, but Luke was fairly confident he could work around any possible unpleasantness by offering to shoulder the bulk of the workload. That had worked pretty well in high school, after all.
"And our illustrious Mr. Snyder...," the instructor cut into Luke's musings. Great, Luke thought. He'd been in class all of fifteen minutes and already gotten on the man's bad side. Luke was determined to put a positive face on things no matter who his partner was, and show Professor Kelly he was committed to and excited about the project. And if he wasn't thrilled about his partner - well, he'd fake it. "You'll be paired with Mr. Mayer. Who, according to roll call, has not deigned to join us this morning. Good luck, and godspeed."
As the professor directed the students to meet up with their partners, Luke remained seated next to Casey, having nowhere else to go. As Casey flirted with his partner, a voluptuous, giggling blonde, Luke stewed. Here Casey was making a love connection, and Luke's damn partner hadn't even shown up to class.
Which, all right, might be a good thing, as Luke could start on his own for the moment. But what if the guy turned out to be some super control freak who'd try to undo any progress Luke made? It was the uncertainty that bothered him.
Luke wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with so he could plot how best to proceed. For the moment, his invisible partner was a wild card, so his hands were tied. He wanted to pick a topic today and get started, but he wouldn't be able to consult with his partner for two days, when the class met again. And that was assuming the guy even showed next time.
Finally, Luke's irritation boiled over. "What kind of an idiot can't make it to the first class?"
"This kind of idiot."
Luke's head snapped around to find the source of the deep voice behind him. The scolding on the tip of his tongue was silenced by the feast for his eyes. Over six feet of dark-haired, blue-eyed gorgeous would've made intelligible speech difficult, anyway.
"Sorry about being late," Mr. Perfect continued with a charmingly apologetic expression. "I got lost. I'm Noah." Upon receiving no response - save unabashed gaping courtesy of Luke - the other boy added, "you're Snyder, right? The professor said we're partners."
If only, Luke thought. As Noah extended a hand, a vague notion hummed at the back of Luke's mind that he was supposed to do something in return, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what. A helpful elbow to the side from a surprisingly observant Casey snapped Luke back to attention.
"Luke," he finally answered as he accepted Noah's hand, sliding his own within it. Immediately, warmth sparked at the tips of his fingers and spread throughout Luke's body. He knew that this instant crush would hardly benefit his concentration on the project, but couldn't summon the will to care.
After a few moments, Luke realized he hadn't released Noah's hand. Having the crush was one thing, but exposing it was another altogether. Unclasping Noah's hand, he was surprised when Noah continued holding his, turning it over to inspect Luke's wristband.
"Cool," Noah offered, removing his hand from Luke's as he took the empty seat on Luke's right.
"Thanks," Luke said reflexively. Then it occurred to him what Noah had complimented. Luke's wristband prominently sported the "NOH8" logo.
So... Noah was okay with gay rights. Supportive, even. Luke couldn't help the burn in his cheeks as the next logical thought followed. Was there any possibility Noah himself could be-
"Do you have any subjects in mind?"
Chemistry, biology, anatomy... "uh, a few," Luke stammered, trying to bring his stubbornly wandering mind back to his - no, their - history project. "What about you?"
Luke cursed his raging hormones. He already knew what he wanted to do. He'd worked it out in the ten minutes he'd spent being annoyed with his no-show partner.
Now, he'd thrown the ball into Noah's court, rather than putting forth his own idea from the get-go. Dumbass! Hopefully, Noah would prove as easy to work with as he was personable.
"Nothing specific. But maybe something leading up to Civil War?" The combination of humility and hopefulness in Noah's tone was eclipsed only by the fact he'd pinpointed the exact era Luke wanted to focus on.
"Yes!" Luke enthused, recalling his verbal abilities in his excitement. "I was thinking about the abolitionists, actually. What about John Brown?"
"That would work," Noah agreed. "People think of him as a saint. They don't realize he wasn't just an abolitionist but a murderer, too. We could contrast his push for armed revolt with the pacifism of other abolitionists-"
"And talk about whether he was a hero or a terrorist..."
"Or both," the two boys said in unison, inciting shared smiles at their easy simpatico.
They spent the next half hour bouncing ideas off one another and scribbling notes, only noticing that class was dismissed because all the students stood to leave. Casey playfully swatted Luke over the head with his folder, shooting him an overtly suggestive wink before exiting. Luke could only pray Noah hadn't noticed.
"Your friend seems nice," Noah commented, effectively nixing Luke's hope for Noah's obliviousness. Still, he didn't seem bothered, so that was good.
"Yeah. He's also a pain in the ass, but what can you do?" Luke was fully prepared to throw Casey under the bus if need be, allowing Noah to think Casey's inappropriate gesture held no basis in fact. The last thing Luke wanted was for Noah to go running for the hills thinking he was about to be hit on.
"I get it," Noah said understandingly. "I had a friend like that back home. Maybe not like that," Noah amended with amusement. Luke was impressed that during the course of one (partial) class period, Noah had gleaned that Casey was an entity unto himself.
Actually, Luke was impressed with pretty much everything about Noah. If only Noah could be as wowed by him. Stop it, he silently commanded himself. The fastest way he could implode what was a promising partnership was to salivate over the guy.
This thought sparked Luke's realization that he'd been openly staring since Casey left. Noah's cheeks were noticeably - and adorably - crimson. So much for not blowing their terrific start right out of the water.
"Uh, Luke...," Noah spoke - and for the first time, awkwardly.
Here it comes, Luke told himself. I'm fine to work on the project with you, but I'm not into guys, okay? Or I think you're great; I just don't think of you that way. Or Get the hell away from me, you freak!
All right, the last one wasn't likely. Noah was too nice for that. He'd let him down easy. Except, it would be anything but easy for Luke.
"Do you wanna keep working on this? Maybe grab some burgers. To fuel us. I mean, for the studying. Of the project. If you want."
As Noah's rambling request came to a close, Luke's spirits were instantaneously buoyed. He's nervous - why would he be nervous unless... ohpleaseGod yes!
Noah's anxiousness made Luke's disintegrate. "Yes, Noah. I would love to grab some burgers. To fuel us. For the studying. Of the project," he parroted wickedly.
Noah burst into laughter. "God. I sound like that?"
"Not most of the time," Luke assured. "Just when you're asking me out." Stating it so plainly, a small but distressing voice of doubt crept in. What if Noah hadn't been asking him out asking him out?
"Fine. From now on, you do the asking." Noah stood, methodically placing his books in his backpack while trying to suppress an endearingly embarrassed smile.
"It's a deal," Luke promised, thoroughly relieved. He haphazardly threw his books into his bag, earning a look of bemusement from the more orderly Noah. "How about Al's? You'll really like it."
"How'd you know I haven't been there?" Noah extended his arm, chivalrously indicating Luke should exit first.
"I grew up in Oakdale. If you'd been around, I'm pretty sure I woulda noticed." As they both left the classroom and the building, they walked side by side across the quad. With their close proximity, their hands bumped, leading Noah to slip Luke's into his own.
It was both the most natural and the most electrifying thing Luke had ever felt.
Author: random_nic
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1765
Disclaimer: I claim nothing that ATWT has claim to. I claim everything else.
Summary AU. Luke's first assignment at Oakdale U provides an unexpected surprise.
Notes: Written for the what_did_you_do prompt meme using the prompt "Give me a break, will ya!" from daan73.
"Gimme a break," Luke groaned in frustration.
"What was that, Mr. Snyder?"
"Nothing," Luke sputtered, not having realized he'd been loud enough for Professor Kelly to hear.
"That's what I thought," the man answered knowingly.
It was the first assignment of the first day of the first year of Luke Snyder's collegiate career, and already things were taking a nosedive. When the professor had handed out the syllabus at the beginning of class, Luke immediately spied the semester-long project. It was worth half their grade, and required each student to work with a partner all term to give an in-depth presentation on their chosen moment in American history.
The assignment hadn't troubled Luke on paper. If anything, the thought of telling a story of his choosing to the entire class enthused him. Until the professor began pairing the students up, rather than allowing them to select their own partners.
Luke had assumed he'd work with Casey. Or that they at least would partner up, even if Luke ended up carrying the bulk of the workload. That was fine with him; he was particular about his schoolwork, and would happily exert maximum effort if it meant maximum creative control.
As Professor Kelly continued giving partner assignments, Luke scanned the classroom. He didn't know which of these strangers to wish for as a partner. A girl seemed the safest bet. In his experience they were more apt to take their studies seriously, but more importantly, less likely to be homophobic.
Still, they'd also probably expect an equal say in the project. Casey, on the other hand, would've been amenable to Luke's wishes, and content to ride his studious coattails. With his own ideas already forming for the direction he wanted to take the assignment, what Luke really needed was a substitute Casey.
Luke took inventory of the students around him yet to be partnered. There were a few promising meathead-types available, the kind who probably thought class time was an unwelcome distraction from their football training schedules. There was a greater risk of intolerance in that demographic, but Luke was fairly confident he could work around any possible unpleasantness by offering to shoulder the bulk of the workload. That had worked pretty well in high school, after all.
"And our illustrious Mr. Snyder...," the instructor cut into Luke's musings. Great, Luke thought. He'd been in class all of fifteen minutes and already gotten on the man's bad side. Luke was determined to put a positive face on things no matter who his partner was, and show Professor Kelly he was committed to and excited about the project. And if he wasn't thrilled about his partner - well, he'd fake it. "You'll be paired with Mr. Mayer. Who, according to roll call, has not deigned to join us this morning. Good luck, and godspeed."
As the professor directed the students to meet up with their partners, Luke remained seated next to Casey, having nowhere else to go. As Casey flirted with his partner, a voluptuous, giggling blonde, Luke stewed. Here Casey was making a love connection, and Luke's damn partner hadn't even shown up to class.
Which, all right, might be a good thing, as Luke could start on his own for the moment. But what if the guy turned out to be some super control freak who'd try to undo any progress Luke made? It was the uncertainty that bothered him.
Luke wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with so he could plot how best to proceed. For the moment, his invisible partner was a wild card, so his hands were tied. He wanted to pick a topic today and get started, but he wouldn't be able to consult with his partner for two days, when the class met again. And that was assuming the guy even showed next time.
Finally, Luke's irritation boiled over. "What kind of an idiot can't make it to the first class?"
"This kind of idiot."
Luke's head snapped around to find the source of the deep voice behind him. The scolding on the tip of his tongue was silenced by the feast for his eyes. Over six feet of dark-haired, blue-eyed gorgeous would've made intelligible speech difficult, anyway.
"Sorry about being late," Mr. Perfect continued with a charmingly apologetic expression. "I got lost. I'm Noah." Upon receiving no response - save unabashed gaping courtesy of Luke - the other boy added, "you're Snyder, right? The professor said we're partners."
If only, Luke thought. As Noah extended a hand, a vague notion hummed at the back of Luke's mind that he was supposed to do something in return, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what. A helpful elbow to the side from a surprisingly observant Casey snapped Luke back to attention.
"Luke," he finally answered as he accepted Noah's hand, sliding his own within it. Immediately, warmth sparked at the tips of his fingers and spread throughout Luke's body. He knew that this instant crush would hardly benefit his concentration on the project, but couldn't summon the will to care.
After a few moments, Luke realized he hadn't released Noah's hand. Having the crush was one thing, but exposing it was another altogether. Unclasping Noah's hand, he was surprised when Noah continued holding his, turning it over to inspect Luke's wristband.
"Cool," Noah offered, removing his hand from Luke's as he took the empty seat on Luke's right.
"Thanks," Luke said reflexively. Then it occurred to him what Noah had complimented. Luke's wristband prominently sported the "NOH8" logo.
So... Noah was okay with gay rights. Supportive, even. Luke couldn't help the burn in his cheeks as the next logical thought followed. Was there any possibility Noah himself could be-
"Do you have any subjects in mind?"
Chemistry, biology, anatomy... "uh, a few," Luke stammered, trying to bring his stubbornly wandering mind back to his - no, their - history project. "What about you?"
Luke cursed his raging hormones. He already knew what he wanted to do. He'd worked it out in the ten minutes he'd spent being annoyed with his no-show partner.
Now, he'd thrown the ball into Noah's court, rather than putting forth his own idea from the get-go. Dumbass! Hopefully, Noah would prove as easy to work with as he was personable.
"Nothing specific. But maybe something leading up to Civil War?" The combination of humility and hopefulness in Noah's tone was eclipsed only by the fact he'd pinpointed the exact era Luke wanted to focus on.
"Yes!" Luke enthused, recalling his verbal abilities in his excitement. "I was thinking about the abolitionists, actually. What about John Brown?"
"That would work," Noah agreed. "People think of him as a saint. They don't realize he wasn't just an abolitionist but a murderer, too. We could contrast his push for armed revolt with the pacifism of other abolitionists-"
"And talk about whether he was a hero or a terrorist..."
"Or both," the two boys said in unison, inciting shared smiles at their easy simpatico.
They spent the next half hour bouncing ideas off one another and scribbling notes, only noticing that class was dismissed because all the students stood to leave. Casey playfully swatted Luke over the head with his folder, shooting him an overtly suggestive wink before exiting. Luke could only pray Noah hadn't noticed.
"Your friend seems nice," Noah commented, effectively nixing Luke's hope for Noah's obliviousness. Still, he didn't seem bothered, so that was good.
"Yeah. He's also a pain in the ass, but what can you do?" Luke was fully prepared to throw Casey under the bus if need be, allowing Noah to think Casey's inappropriate gesture held no basis in fact. The last thing Luke wanted was for Noah to go running for the hills thinking he was about to be hit on.
"I get it," Noah said understandingly. "I had a friend like that back home. Maybe not like that," Noah amended with amusement. Luke was impressed that during the course of one (partial) class period, Noah had gleaned that Casey was an entity unto himself.
Actually, Luke was impressed with pretty much everything about Noah. If only Noah could be as wowed by him. Stop it, he silently commanded himself. The fastest way he could implode what was a promising partnership was to salivate over the guy.
This thought sparked Luke's realization that he'd been openly staring since Casey left. Noah's cheeks were noticeably - and adorably - crimson. So much for not blowing their terrific start right out of the water.
"Uh, Luke...," Noah spoke - and for the first time, awkwardly.
Here it comes, Luke told himself. I'm fine to work on the project with you, but I'm not into guys, okay? Or I think you're great; I just don't think of you that way. Or Get the hell away from me, you freak!
All right, the last one wasn't likely. Noah was too nice for that. He'd let him down easy. Except, it would be anything but easy for Luke.
"Do you wanna keep working on this? Maybe grab some burgers. To fuel us. I mean, for the studying. Of the project. If you want."
As Noah's rambling request came to a close, Luke's spirits were instantaneously buoyed. He's nervous - why would he be nervous unless... ohpleaseGod yes!
Noah's anxiousness made Luke's disintegrate. "Yes, Noah. I would love to grab some burgers. To fuel us. For the studying. Of the project," he parroted wickedly.
Noah burst into laughter. "God. I sound like that?"
"Not most of the time," Luke assured. "Just when you're asking me out." Stating it so plainly, a small but distressing voice of doubt crept in. What if Noah hadn't been asking him out asking him out?
"Fine. From now on, you do the asking." Noah stood, methodically placing his books in his backpack while trying to suppress an endearingly embarrassed smile.
"It's a deal," Luke promised, thoroughly relieved. He haphazardly threw his books into his bag, earning a look of bemusement from the more orderly Noah. "How about Al's? You'll really like it."
"How'd you know I haven't been there?" Noah extended his arm, chivalrously indicating Luke should exit first.
"I grew up in Oakdale. If you'd been around, I'm pretty sure I woulda noticed." As they both left the classroom and the building, they walked side by side across the quad. With their close proximity, their hands bumped, leading Noah to slip Luke's into his own.
It was both the most natural and the most electrifying thing Luke had ever felt.