Title: On the Outside
Summary: Stuart Minkus knows three things.
Pairing: Minkus/Shawn, Cory/Shawn
Disclaimer: You know their not mine.
On the Outside
There are three things that Stuart Minkus know. First, that he, is of course brilliant, but everyone knows that. Second, that people generally don't like him, which he reasons away as them having a problem with the first thing. And third, that he hates one Cory Matthews.
Except, if Stuart decides to be entirely honest with himself, that's not exactly true, he just thinks that Cory Matthews is the stupidest person alive.
And he couldn't be happier for it.
When he was a kid Stuart used to want to be Shawn Hunter. Cool, uncaring, a popular rebel who was good at sports and had lots of friends. There were times when he would have given up all of his intelligence for just an inkling of what Shawn had in abundance; personality, charm, the ability to be around people. He thought he wanted to be Shawn Hunter, an almost polar opposite of himself.
But it wasn't true. He didn't want to be Shawn Hunter cause then Shawn Hunter could never look at him the way he looks at Cory, could never charm him, could never-
Well, it didn't matter anyway, because Stuart knows that being someone else is impossible, a person can only be himself.
But, if he could be someone else, Stuart decided he would be Cory Matthews. The slightly goofy kid had plenty of friends, an adoring girlfriend, a great family, everything a person could want with none of the baggage that came with being Shawn Hunter.
And of course, the best part of being Cory Matthews was having Shawn Hunter all to himself. Because everyone knew that for all Shawn dated and hung out with other people, the only person he had eyes for was Cory Matthews.
And Cory was too dumb to see it.
No, Cory insisted on being with Topanga. As kids he'd thought of her as a friend, the other strange kid that no one knew how to deal with so they turned to ridicule. They'd been together in their status as outsider, and then junior high started and suddenly she couldn't be away from the mainstream anymore. She just had to assimilate and become the good, if smarter than average, pre-teen girl.
And in doing so, she stole the one thing Shawn Hunter held precious. And Stuart could never forgive her for either of her sins, abandoning him and hurting Shawn.
The worst part was when Cory and Topanga weren't together though. He watched them over the years, even if they forgot him. Went off to high school, enrolled in the advanced classes that Topanga could have taken but didn't because she didn't want to be seen as different. Found himself a new group of outsiders who didn't want anything to do with anyone else, including each other.
He hated it.
So he watched them, lived through them. Saw more than anyone else did. When Cory and Topanga weren't together Shawn thought he has his best friend back, when Cory and Topanga weren't together there was always a hope for something more. Stuart saw how Shawn was during those times, how alive he was, how hopeful.
And he saw how Shawn closed off when they got back together. And he hated Cory for it. Cory, who could have everything that Stuart wanted, just threw it all away, took it for granted that Shawn would always be there.
He was right of course. But that didn't make it right.
They all grew up, they all graduated, they all went on to do exactly what everyone expected of them.
Stuart went off to a fancy Ivy League college that would appreciate his superior intellect. Columbia was brilliant, and for once he hoped he wouldn't be an outsider among outsiders. He hoped he would forget about high school, about Shawn Hunter and Cory Matthews, and the idiocy and longing of their relationship.
The rest all went off together, just like high school. Shawn had found a girl that he played Cory and Topanga with. Everyone thought it was cute; Shawn Hunter had finally found a girl he could be with for more than a couple of make-out sessions. Stuart knew better. Shawn was tired of being rejected by Cory, so he did the next best thing and tried to become him.
Stuart's not the only one who wants to be other people.
He moved on with his life, graduated with honors, got a job in business, forgot all about high school. Or rather pushed all that to the back of his mind, he could never really forget Shawn Hunter after all.
Stuart Minkus had everything, a great job, some friends as smart and different as himself, a girlfriend every once and awhile (and occasionally even a boyfriend).
He'd done well for himself, as everyone predicted. High school became a distant memory, something that was only occasionally thought about, and so when he met with the person in charge of designing their new ad campaign, the past was the last thing on his mind.
"Shawn Hunter," Stuart stated, almost in a state of shock. If there was one thing he'd given up on, it was ever seeing Shawn again.
The momentarily puzzled look on his face hurt, but eventually it passed.
"Stuart Minkus," he said, "my how you've changed."
And he had. Gone were the horrible clothes and glasses that screamed geek. Replaced with fancy suits that fit with the business and laser surgery, which apparently cured all eye ailments, or at least all of his. But Shawn had also changed. No more leather jacket and rebel look. They'd both grown up.
"How's Cory?" Stuart blurted out before he could stop himself. After all, whenever he thought about Shawn, Cory was always there.
He regretted it instantly as Shawn's face closed off.
"He's fine, I'm sure. Happily married to his high school sweetheart, quiet house in the suburbs with his wife and kids, mundane job, the works. So about this ad, I was thinking…"
And that was that. No more talk about the past. The intention was clear, the only thing between them now was business. And when Stuart asked Shawn out for coffee after the meeting, the agreement wasn't a fulfillment of teenage dreams.
It was the beginning of new ones.
Stuart Minkus knows three things. First, that he's brilliant, and nothing can take that away from him. Second, that Cory Matthews will always hold first place in Shawn Hunter's heart. And third, that second place isn't so bad.