FIC: JP Licks (School Challenge)
Nov. 18th, 2005 11:16 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sga_flashfic*****
FIC: JP Licks [PG-13] (McKay)
Summary: He’d applied to Northeastern for the science. He’d had no idea that Boston would take him.
Author: RoaringMice
Title: JP Licks
Author: RoaringMice
Author's Email: roaringmice@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Archive: The one attached with this LJ, if there is one. Otherwise, please ask first.
Warning: Mild swearing.
Note: Rodney appears to have a diploma from Northeastern University on his wall, thus the genesis of this story.
This is my first Atlantis fic. Please forgive any mistakes I make with canon and etc. I’m a newbie. Suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.
***
Rodney sat hunched at the table in the dark kitchen, papers splayed across the table’s surface, his entire focus on the laptop in front of him. As the screen cast a blue glow over his face and hands, his fingers flew across the keyboard and he squinted at the screen. He was supposed to be writing up his dissertation, but he’d had this idea for data decompression that…
His eyes flashed towards the fridge. Silence. That old clunky fridge was never silent. His eyes opened wide as he realised what was happening, then he groaned and swore sharply as the light from his computer screen disappeared, his work fizzling away into the ether.
He pushed his laptop away and lay his head down on his arms with a muffled groan. All that work, gone in an instant. “Damn,” he said softly, his voice muffled. Wasn’t he supposed to be some sort of genius? Well, a genius would have saved his god-damned work.
Rodney pushed back from the table in frustration, his chair scraping against the painted wood floor as he stood. Through the nearby window he could see that the entire neighbourhood was dark. Didn’t take a genius to figure that one out - power failure.
He grabbed his keys on his way out and slammed the door behind him. If he couldn’t work, at least he could make good use of his time, he thought as his feet clattered down the narrow wooden staircase. Coffee run.
Rodney pushed open the door, letting in the sounds and smells of summer in the city – a heady mix of old milk, stale beer, car exhaust, and, oddly enough, flowers. He turned and looked back at the triple-decker in all its faded glory, peering up at his third floor apartment’s windows, hoping to see a light burning from within, something to indicate that the power had come back on. Nothing. Fine. Coffee.
A car sped past on the narrow one-way street, its music up so loud that, despite its closed windows, he could feel the pulse of the rhythm vibrating the bones in his head. Interesting place, this, he thought as he began walking. He’d ended up here in Jamaica Plain because it was close to Northeastern, but not too close. He grimaced as he walked. Northeastern was in an area with a lot of other colleges. There were way too many students in that area, and there was no way he was going to get stuck living with all those undergraduates, he thought with disdain. Here, in JP, it was more residential, less student-oriented. Although there were students here, there was also a mix of Asian, Latino and Gay culture that he’d found himself almost enjoying.
Not that he’d made friends here - after all, he hadn’t really tried, and people did find him a bit brisk. But he liked it that way. It gave him time to work without all the waste most people spent…whatever. He knew enough people at uni to piss him off anyway. And he liked the isolation. For the most part.
And this part of Boston was pretty convenient to the university. He’d usually just take the “E” line from Northeastern all the way to the end, to Heath Street, by the veterinary hospital, past what he swore must be the only actual orphanage he’d ever seen in his life. Then there was a bus, but he’d usually drive – he would leave his car somewhere in the neighbourhood and drive his own ass home.
He knew it was stupid to even have a car in Boston, in a city notorious for its lack of parking spaces. He’d researched the situation before his arrival, and found that the city had at least twelve cars to every residential parking space, and those were cars with actual permits to park – he didn’t count the untold number without stickers. But he just couldn’t give up the car. He needed the freedom, the ability to hop in and just go. Sometimes, he needed the thinking space.
He rounded the corner onto Centre Street and a 20-something man brushed by him. Hair spiked straight up, dressed all in black, he sauntered away without an apology. “Art students,” Rodney said under his breath, rolling his eyes. As if you had to wear that uniform in order to like the Cure, or the Smiths, or in order to be “different”. He could show him different…God, he hoped the stupid shop was open despite the power failure. He could really use some coffee.
He cast a quick glance in both directions at the corner, then darted across the busy street, nearly tripping over the old train tracks embedded in the middle of the asphalt. Stepping between two parked cars, he smiled to see the shop still open, although their “JP Licks” sign, like the store itself, was dark. They’d set candles and some sort of old lantern out on the counter, giving the long, narrow room a vaguely old-fashioned feel.
The store was packed with people taking advantage of the half-price ice cream that the employees were hustling as they tried to sell as much as they could before it all melted away. He pushed past the crowd at the door and sniffed in the sweet, deep smells of ice cream and coffee. His smile broadened. Coffee, especially good coffee, was his one guilty pleasure, and whoever did the coffee here did it very, very well. He slipped to the counter and ordered his usual, “coffee, regular,” then waited impatiently as the clerk filled the cup. The clerk slid the coffee over the counter to him with a comment, and he pushed his money towards her, grunting in response.
He shouldered his way through the crowd and stood outside the store, leaning back against its glass as he took a satisfied sniff of the drink, then a long, slow pull. He sighed in contentment. Damn, if this didn’t make life worth living, he didn’t know what did. Well, math, he supposed, and astrophysics, and…God, he loved this place.
He’d fallen in love with Boston, which had surprised him at first, but now simply felt normal. He hadn’t picked the university for the town, but once he’d got there, it had sort of grabbed him and wouldn’t let go. Maybe that’s why he was dicking around rather than working on his dissertation. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to leave.
As pedestrians moved past him, he turned his face to the night sky, and smiled. He loved power failures, too – they were the only time when he could actually see the stars. He’d been here so long that he’d forgotten they were actually up there for looking at, not just for study.
He’d forgotten about the stars.
He pushed away from the wall and began his slow walk home.
*****
Comments, reviews and etc. are very much appreciated. Thanks.
FIC: JP Licks [PG-13] (McKay)
Summary: He’d applied to Northeastern for the science. He’d had no idea that Boston would take him.
Author: RoaringMice
Title: JP Licks
Author: RoaringMice
Author's Email: roaringmice@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Archive: The one attached with this LJ, if there is one. Otherwise, please ask first.
Warning: Mild swearing.
Note: Rodney appears to have a diploma from Northeastern University on his wall, thus the genesis of this story.
This is my first Atlantis fic. Please forgive any mistakes I make with canon and etc. I’m a newbie. Suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.
***
Rodney sat hunched at the table in the dark kitchen, papers splayed across the table’s surface, his entire focus on the laptop in front of him. As the screen cast a blue glow over his face and hands, his fingers flew across the keyboard and he squinted at the screen. He was supposed to be writing up his dissertation, but he’d had this idea for data decompression that…
His eyes flashed towards the fridge. Silence. That old clunky fridge was never silent. His eyes opened wide as he realised what was happening, then he groaned and swore sharply as the light from his computer screen disappeared, his work fizzling away into the ether.
He pushed his laptop away and lay his head down on his arms with a muffled groan. All that work, gone in an instant. “Damn,” he said softly, his voice muffled. Wasn’t he supposed to be some sort of genius? Well, a genius would have saved his god-damned work.
Rodney pushed back from the table in frustration, his chair scraping against the painted wood floor as he stood. Through the nearby window he could see that the entire neighbourhood was dark. Didn’t take a genius to figure that one out - power failure.
He grabbed his keys on his way out and slammed the door behind him. If he couldn’t work, at least he could make good use of his time, he thought as his feet clattered down the narrow wooden staircase. Coffee run.
Rodney pushed open the door, letting in the sounds and smells of summer in the city – a heady mix of old milk, stale beer, car exhaust, and, oddly enough, flowers. He turned and looked back at the triple-decker in all its faded glory, peering up at his third floor apartment’s windows, hoping to see a light burning from within, something to indicate that the power had come back on. Nothing. Fine. Coffee.
A car sped past on the narrow one-way street, its music up so loud that, despite its closed windows, he could feel the pulse of the rhythm vibrating the bones in his head. Interesting place, this, he thought as he began walking. He’d ended up here in Jamaica Plain because it was close to Northeastern, but not too close. He grimaced as he walked. Northeastern was in an area with a lot of other colleges. There were way too many students in that area, and there was no way he was going to get stuck living with all those undergraduates, he thought with disdain. Here, in JP, it was more residential, less student-oriented. Although there were students here, there was also a mix of Asian, Latino and Gay culture that he’d found himself almost enjoying.
Not that he’d made friends here - after all, he hadn’t really tried, and people did find him a bit brisk. But he liked it that way. It gave him time to work without all the waste most people spent…whatever. He knew enough people at uni to piss him off anyway. And he liked the isolation. For the most part.
And this part of Boston was pretty convenient to the university. He’d usually just take the “E” line from Northeastern all the way to the end, to Heath Street, by the veterinary hospital, past what he swore must be the only actual orphanage he’d ever seen in his life. Then there was a bus, but he’d usually drive – he would leave his car somewhere in the neighbourhood and drive his own ass home.
He knew it was stupid to even have a car in Boston, in a city notorious for its lack of parking spaces. He’d researched the situation before his arrival, and found that the city had at least twelve cars to every residential parking space, and those were cars with actual permits to park – he didn’t count the untold number without stickers. But he just couldn’t give up the car. He needed the freedom, the ability to hop in and just go. Sometimes, he needed the thinking space.
He rounded the corner onto Centre Street and a 20-something man brushed by him. Hair spiked straight up, dressed all in black, he sauntered away without an apology. “Art students,” Rodney said under his breath, rolling his eyes. As if you had to wear that uniform in order to like the Cure, or the Smiths, or in order to be “different”. He could show him different…God, he hoped the stupid shop was open despite the power failure. He could really use some coffee.
He cast a quick glance in both directions at the corner, then darted across the busy street, nearly tripping over the old train tracks embedded in the middle of the asphalt. Stepping between two parked cars, he smiled to see the shop still open, although their “JP Licks” sign, like the store itself, was dark. They’d set candles and some sort of old lantern out on the counter, giving the long, narrow room a vaguely old-fashioned feel.
The store was packed with people taking advantage of the half-price ice cream that the employees were hustling as they tried to sell as much as they could before it all melted away. He pushed past the crowd at the door and sniffed in the sweet, deep smells of ice cream and coffee. His smile broadened. Coffee, especially good coffee, was his one guilty pleasure, and whoever did the coffee here did it very, very well. He slipped to the counter and ordered his usual, “coffee, regular,” then waited impatiently as the clerk filled the cup. The clerk slid the coffee over the counter to him with a comment, and he pushed his money towards her, grunting in response.
He shouldered his way through the crowd and stood outside the store, leaning back against its glass as he took a satisfied sniff of the drink, then a long, slow pull. He sighed in contentment. Damn, if this didn’t make life worth living, he didn’t know what did. Well, math, he supposed, and astrophysics, and…God, he loved this place.
He’d fallen in love with Boston, which had surprised him at first, but now simply felt normal. He hadn’t picked the university for the town, but once he’d got there, it had sort of grabbed him and wouldn’t let go. Maybe that’s why he was dicking around rather than working on his dissertation. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to leave.
As pedestrians moved past him, he turned his face to the night sky, and smiled. He loved power failures, too – they were the only time when he could actually see the stars. He’d been here so long that he’d forgotten they were actually up there for looking at, not just for study.
He’d forgotten about the stars.
He pushed away from the wall and began his slow walk home.
*****
Comments, reviews and etc. are very much appreciated. Thanks.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-18 07:45 pm (UTC)Other than that, it's a nice little piece of backstory.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-18 08:27 pm (UTC)Learning, learning...and I will get better with practice. Thanks for commenting!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-30 07:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-18 09:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-18 09:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-19 12:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-21 03:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-21 10:27 am (UTC)Although... "a bit brisk"? has to be the understatement of the year *sniggers*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-21 03:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-21 12:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-21 03:30 pm (UTC)