Title: Adventurer
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Michael Cutter/Jack McCoy
Fandom: Law & Order
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Michael Cutter or Jack McCoy, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.***
Mike hesitated in front of the door to Jack's office, wondering if he should go inside. The case hadn't gone his way, and he wasn't positive if he was happy or upset about it. He had an idea that he already knew how Jack would feel.
The other man had made it clear that he wanted Mike to lose the case. He'd said so himself. But that hadn't kept Mike from trying his best to win -- he wouldn't be so unprofessional as to deliberately throw a case to further his own personal agenda.
No, he'd lost this one fair and square. And in some ways, he was glad that he had.
His heart was beating doube-time in his chest as he reached out to open the door. In just a few minutes, he'd find out what Jack had planned for him -- and whatever it was, he'd have to obey. He wasn't going to back out of the deal they'd made.
What was Jack going to say to him? He wouldn't call the deal off, either -- Mike knew him too well to expect that. The look in his eyes when they'd talked the day before had been too insistent, too eager, for him to believe that Jack would back out.
And he didn't want the other man to change his mind. This was what he'd wanted, though it was going to feel odd being someone's slave.
He'd often wondered just what that kind of relationship would be like, but he'd never had the nerve to jump into it himself. The truth was, he'd never trusted anyone enough. There had never been anyone in his life that he would give that kind of control to.
Jack, however, was different. This man wasn't someone who was going to use him and throw him away -- and he was sure that Jack cared about him. He wasn't just going to be some plaything that would be forgotten the moment they were out of the bedroom.
The approving way that Jack had looked at him in the office after he'd won a particularly tough case had always told him all that he needed to know. Jack wanted him -- and cared for him. That had been his first real ray of hope.
That hope was about to turn into reality. All he had to do was step into the office and close the door behind him.
Once he did that, he had the feeling that a new phase of his life was going to begin. One that he'd wanted for a long time. A dream that he'd thought was impossible might be coming true for him; he shouldn't be so hesitant to step forward.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door open and walked inside, trying to look as casual as possible. He would wait for Jack to refer to their bargain -- though he hoped that the other man would bring it up as soon as the door was closed.
Jack looked up as he walked in, showing no emotion as Mike let the door swing shut behind him. When their eyes met, Michael felt as though he was looking into deep, dark pools with no end; Jack had the most unfathomable eyes he'd ever seen.
"Lock the door," the DA said softly, indicating the couch by his desk. "Then sit down. We have some things to discuss that I want to make sure are kept private."
Michael did as he was told, making sure that the door was locked before lowering himself onto the couch and trying to get comfortable. But he couldn't stop the pounding of his heart, or the shaking of his hands. He was more on edge than he'd ever been in a courtroom.
Jack sat back in his chair, a slight smile on his face, watching Mike with raised eyebrows. He didn't look menacing, but Michael felt like a mouse that was being batted around by a cat's paw, just waiting to be snatched up.
"I want you at my house tonight," Jack said, his voice soft but still brusque.
Mike blinked in surprise; he wasn't sure what he'd expected Jack to say, but just telling him to come to the house hadn't been it. He'd thought they would set some ground rules, talk about what they both expected from the relationship.
"You want this to start tonight?" he asked, trying to think of what to say. He wasn't really prepared for this, not yet. He wanted it, but he'd expected to have some time to decide how he would act, to think about what would be happening.
His relationship with Jack would be changing in every way. Even though the other man had made it clear that their working relationship would be the same, Mike couldn't help thinking that the dynamic would be different even there.
It would be hard for him to keep his desires hidden when he was around Jack. And he was fairly sure that his boss felt the same.
Those desires were hard enough to hide already, though that woman he worked with didn't seem to be aware of the fact that he had no interest in her, Mike told himself, a shadow crossing his face at the thought.
He had a feeling that simply saying "I'm gay" and leaving it at that wouldn't even convince her. But once this relationship with Jack had started -- maybe it would be obvious to her that his attentions were concentrated elsewhere, and she'd leave him the hell alone.
Jack cleared his throat, jerking Michael's attention back to the present.
"Don't start thinking about anything else when you're with me," the other man said, his tone low and rough. "I expect your attention at all times -- even here in the office. Things aren't going to change so much that you can get away with slacking off."
"I don't expect to," Mike said, keeping his tone even and hoping that his inner shakiness wasn't too apparent. "And about tonight --"
"You'll be at my house at eight," Jack interrupted him, not giving him a chance to say anything else. "I expect you there at that time. What happens after that is up to me. You have no say in this. You agreed to the terms, now you have to live by them."
Michael bowed his head, focusing on his hands in his lap. Jack was right; he'd agreed to this. He'd gone into it unsure of just what was going to happen, but wanting it nonetheless. This wasn't the time to ask questions or show any hesitation.
"I'll be there," he answered, raising his head and looking Jack in the eye.
"Good boy," Jack said, a smile curving his lips. "I didn't think you'd back out of this. You're too much of an adventurer, even if you don't want to admit that -- to yourself or to anyone else."
An adventurer? Mike thought, standing up and picking up his coat. Maybe he was, at that. He'd never been afraid to try new and different things -- and this was something he'd wanted to try for a long time. He'd just never found the right person before.
But he had now. And he wasn't going to turn away from this. It was too much of an opportunity, and besides, wasn't this what he'd secretly dreamed of from the first time he'd met Jack? His dreams were coming true, without benefit of a glass slipper or a pumpkin.
He paused at the doorway, his eyes seeking Jack's, hoping that the other man would say something else about what he planned for the night. But Jack only leaned back at him, that curious small smile still on his face.
"I'll see you at eight," he managed as he opened the door and left the office, checking his watch. Only two hours before he'd be at Jack's -- on the threshold of a new phase in his life.***