Title: Step At A Time
Author: ZombieJazz
Fandom: SVU
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Law&Order: Special Victims Unit and its characters belong to Dick Wolf. The character of Jack, Benji and Emmy have been created and developed for the sake of this AU series.
Summary: With the fall upon them, Olivia Benson and Brian Cassidy help their young children start a new chapter in their lives. They must work to come to terms with the new challenges and struggles facing them — including Benji's health, middle school, Grade 1 and new developments, colleagues and dynamics at their jobs. All the while they must make the necessary adjustments to their family and work life to operate within their new reality.
The story is set in the Hello Goodbye, Welcome Home, Facing Forward, Best Laid Plans AU.
Jack finished his circuit around the pump track at Domino Park – coasting up and down the rises of the course. It was a real smooth ride. Definitely a leg workout but just insanely fun. And it was pretty much a case study in how to better utilize urban space. It was the fucking gentrification of skating – making ride space all wheel friendly. This place attracted everything from kiddies on balance bikes to the fucking inline skaters – and everything in between. Though, it was definitely meant to be a BMX park. But it was like every time he was there Jack was clocking how to do the redesign and pitch this to make it more aesthetically pleasing within an urban landscape. How this shit could be easily adopted into all kinds of spaces in the city.
But maybe it wasn't as killer as he thought if he was using Jamin and Emmy as a case study in the usability of this place. Because Em had all out disappeared – favoring the playground over the bike park – as soon as Brian had showed up. And Jamin had maybe whipped around the track like ten times before he'd dragged his bike up to the sidelines on the little bluff and planted his ass on one of the fences up there just taking it all in.
Like he wasn't already disappointed enough that neither of the kids had wanted to bring their decks over to the park. They'd both grabbed at their bikes and there'd been no persuading them otherwise. Though, he'd give that Jamin had definitely gotten pretty skilled at grabbing some air and managing some basic spins, stunts and tricks on his bike. It just sucked that he wasn't keeping up the tricktionary when it came to skating too.
Jack felt like he could put in another like hour or more figuring out what he could do on his deck and do with design potential. But he figured he should likely go and see what was up with the kid. Make sure he was OK.
He leaned against the fencing next to Jamin and gave him a bit of a once over.
"You seriously already spent?" Jack tried as a bit of a tease.
But Jamin just shrugged and kept looking at the guys flying over the real dirt jumps, bluffs and obstacles off on the other side of the park. "It's Friday," the kid said like that explained anything. Like that shouldn't be an excuse – beyond being hyped for the weekend. Freedom. Sounded pretty good to Jack.
So instead he just stared at the guys on their BMX and Mountain bikes too. They were seriously making it look easy. But he'd been skating long enough to know that any wheeled sport was just poetry in motion. It took a whole lot of work and practice to get it to look like taking flight was just a matter of making a jump on some hope and prayer. Practice, practice, practice. And a whole lot of eating of asphalt – or in this case likely some dirt and wood chips – a long the way. Lots of scraps, bruises, sprains and some broken bones for good measure.
"You waitin' for a break in the traffic? 'Cuz like you said, Friday – likely ain't gonna be one. Should likely go stake a place on the sidelines if you want to make a run."
And it only got another shrug. "I'm not allowed to do those runs without Dad."
Jack gave him a shrug at that. "I can watch you try for a brain injury just as easily as him."
Jamin gave him a look at that. Jack saw the flicker of hurt there and realized he'd said the wrong thing. He shouldn't have phrased it that way. Ben got all squirrel-y about smarts and reading stuff. But he didn't know how to backtrack without saying something that might make it worse.
"Dad does the jumps too," Jamin muttered.
Jack made an amused noise at that. "That sounds like a crash landing."
And it got some side-eye from the kid – and Jack caught that flicker of hurt again. "Why do you always hafta say mean stuff 'bout him?"
Jack gave him his own side-eye and kicked at his deck pulled up against his knee. "That wasn't mean," he contended. "Just a statement of fact. Dude his age …"
Jamin gave him a look. "Dad knows lots about bikes and riding."
"Mmm," Jack grunt. "Right, forgot, Brian knows everything about everything."
"Not everything …," Jamin whispered and pulled his bike closer to him, resting his chin against the one handle bar while he still gazed at the high-flyers across the yard.
Jack just stared at the kid, though. He sighed at him. "Jamin, c'mon, cut me some slack. I'm tryin' here. What's with the cold shoulder?"
The kid just shrugged at him – barely.
"Yea, OK, thanks," Jack muttered and watched the next couple guys race around the park's features. He'd rather be out there than over here doing whatever this was. But he looked at Jamin again. "Wanna go over to Odd Fellas and get some shakes or something?"
The kid's eyes still didn't move to him. "Don't eat sugar."
Jack snorted at that. "Since when?"
Jamin shrugged. "Since I'm not supposa."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yea, that Mom or Brian's latest food loony thing they're slapping you with?"
That got a look. "The doctor said," Jamin croaked at him. "Sugar su-pess-es your immune system and I already got a bad immune system so I shouldn't make it badder by eating sugary stuff."
Jack just watched him – there was a whole lot of hurt and anger in that comment. "Sorry," he allowed. "I didn't know they'd said that to you."
Jamin rocked his bike a bit again. "Cuz you never come to anything. Dad's only not come to two."
"I think he's kinda supposed to go to them being your Dad and all …" Jack muttered.
"Yea and he does," Jamin said. "But you still say all kinds of mean stuff."
Jack sighed heavily at that and looked at the side of the kid's head – since Jamin wasn't looking at him at all. "I didn't know you wanted me to come to any of your doctor stuff."
And it got the most animated shrug yet. "I don't cuz you get all weird and scared 'bout doctors and hospitals and bein' sick. So you don't even want me to say nuttin' but lupus or nuttin'."
"Jamin, you can say things to me about the lupus stuff."
"No," he spit out forcibly, "cuz you just get all weird and mean. And don't come to nuttin' anyway."
Jack examined him. "This 'bout last weekend? Ben – I told ya. I had to work. Look, I'm here now. I'm tryin' to hang with you but you're giving me all kinds of attitude. It's kinda making me not want hang this weekend, you know?"
And Jamin just shrugged. "I don't care. Got plans anyway."
Jack hadn't meant for it to happen but an amused sound escaped him. "You've got plans? What? The library and Netflix? Cuz thought your mom and dad benched you with hockey."
And the kid really glared at him – his eyes glassing that time and Jack sat back a bit. He almost sputtered out an apology but sat back a bit and just stared at him.
"I can still play hockey! Dad takes me all the time! Maybe even tomorrow after me and Mom go to art class! And we're doing Family Fun Day Sunday," he pressed at him.
And again, he hadn't meant it to happen but an amused sound escaped him.
And Jamin's eyes glimmered more. "Dad's right, Peedg" he hissed at him. "You're a jack-ass."
Jack stared at him at that but the kid only madly wiped his eyes hard against his shirt sleeve and then rose, yanking his bike up and dragging it along with him.
"Jamin, c'mon," Jack sighed, calling after him.
But Jamin just mounted it and darted off toward the playground – to find his dad. Jack sighed a bit harder and picked up his board and trailed after him.
