Fiction: The Elephant (Heroes/Southland)

[kethni]

Name: The Elephant

Pairing: Matt/Cooper

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Adult language, mentions of sexual situations.

Word Count: 2170 approximately

Authors Note: For arunicenrollwho prompted Heroes/Southland: Matt pays a visit to his former training officer John Cooper. The two catch up, though there's an elephant in the room: the fact that they were each other's gay first time and helped each other discover their homo/bisexuality.


The wide expanse of the LA freeway is filled with the thrum of evening drivers. It isn’t quiet, these roads are never quiet, but there the frantic panic of the school run has gone and the barely restrained violence of the rush hour has been appeased.

Matt’s missed this: the sheer pleasure of driving on the open road just isn’t available in New York where the only driving he got to do was from the station to a crime scene and back again. He wouldn’t drive for leisure or pleasure in New York City; that would be madness.

He consults his GPS before making the turn. He’s been here before but so long ago that the memories are mostly blurred and confused. Except of course apart from those details that are etched so deeply into his mind that they’ll never be erased, only have their edges softened.

The house is dark and silent. That’s no surprise really. Cooper isn’t a man to let anything slip his control. What you see is what he lets you see. What you hear is what he lets you hear. Matt gives a rueful half smile at the way he babbled that first day. He always does when he’s nervous and that first day, out on the streets like a real cop, he was nothing but nervous impulses wrapped in an ill-fitting uniform.

Matt parks up and gets out of the car. He walks over the manicured lawn and knocks on the door. It’s a decent sized house and well maintained. Cooper wouldn’t stand for anything else. Respect yourself: look clean, neat, and tidy on duty. Respect your partner: keep your vehicle in good condition. Respect the bad guys: keep your weapons in good condition.

The door is opened and Matt finds himself smiling automatically. ‘Hey, Cooper.’

‘Well if it isn’t Detective Parkman come to visit the little folks. Better come in Detective, before the beer gets warm.’

When Matt was a rookie Cooper seemed old but he realised long ago that Cooper isn’t that much older than himself, not really. But world weariness and cynicism sit on his shoulders, weighing him down and giving him a gravity Matt doesn’t hope to replicate. He’s been a training officer since before Matt was a cop and Matt’s never heard him wish or hope or even idly consider ever wanting to be anything else.

‘You’re looking good,’ Matt says as he sits down.

‘It’s not every day I have a failed domestic terrorist in my living room,’ Cooper says as he opens a couple of beers and hands one to Matt.

‘Oh geez, you know that was so much BS, right?’

Cooper leans back in his chair and takes a sip of his beer. ‘They showed footage right around the clock. You’re real photogenic, Parkman. Not sure the bomb was doing your figure any favours.’

‘I got kidnapped, drugged, and strapped into a bomb before some bastard shoved me out a moving van,’ Matt complains. ‘It was damn traumatic!’

‘I knew that whole thing was bull. You blowing something up… maybe. But you getting your face splashed all over the news? Nah.’
Matt gulps back a mouthful of beer. ‘Thanks for your support.’

‘Janice called me about it. She had some wild story about rogue government agents. I made some calls. Got told a bunch of crap about you being sacked, transferring, being sacked again. I figured you were undercover and over your head.’

‘I was on secondment with the senator for New York,’ Matt lies. It’s an old lie and comes almost easily.

‘I don’t have much to do with you suit types but I’m pretty sure you should break cover before you actually get to the part with the bomb,’ Cooper says archly.

‘Thanks for your support, if it comes up again I’ll try to remember.’

‘If you end up in a shootout with cops again, I recommend you drop the knife before they riddle you with bullets. I knew that one was complete bullshit when Janice didn’t call me in hysterics.’ Cooper sips his beer. ‘So having got yourself nearly blown up and shot to pieces you finally returned home to the LAPD?’

Matt gulps down a mouthful of beer. ‘Yeah. Thought I’d risk my life here for a while.’

‘Aside from the near death experiences how was New York City?’

Matt swirls the beer around in the bottle. ‘Like living in a two foot box while three hundred drunk guys scream in your ear and one of them pees in the box.’

Cooper nods. ‘Can’t imagine why you left.’

Matt laughs. ‘Tempting, right? No place to bring up kids.’

‘Oh Christ, is your biological clock ticking? You gonna fill the world with little Parkmans?’

Matt plays with his beer bottle. ‘All those conversations with Janice and she never mentioned we have a kid together? She swore during the divorce that he wasn’t mine but he is. She must’ve known too as she named him for me.’

Cooper cross his leg, putting his left foot up on his right knee. ‘I always thought that was a no-no with the Hebrews.’

‘Politically correct as always. It is a no-no. I have no idea what she did that for.’

Cooper rolls his eyes. ‘Who knows why people do the things they do. You hungry?’

‘Wouldn’t say no to something to eat.’

‘When did you ever? Come through to the back and I’ll fire up the grill.’ Cooper raises an eyebrow sardonically. ‘It’ll be romantic.’

Matt snorts a laugh and follows him through the house and into the back garden. ‘This looks great. This wall new?’

‘Pretty new. Guy I know helped me out.’

Matt raises his eyebrows. ‘Guy you know.’

‘Yeah. That a problem?’

‘Hey you “build walls” with whomever you want,’ Matt says, holding up his hands.

‘Shut up and help me get this grill going.’



The flames dance in the darkness as Cooper turns over a steak.

‘I heard Dewey went into rehab,’ Matt remarks.

‘Fucking jackass. Dragged us all the way out there to “make amends” and all that bullshit.’

‘You and your new trainee?’

‘Yeah.’ Cooper shakes his head. ‘Fucking Dewey. All that AA crap. Makes my back hurt.’

‘Everything makes your back hurt. What’s your trainee’s name?’

‘Ben,’ Cooper says with a shrug. ‘I was wary because he comes from money. His old man is a big shot fucking criminal lawyer.’

Matt sips his beer. ‘This is the one who shot a banger on his first night?’

‘It was a righteous kill.’

‘I don’t doubt it.’ Matt peers at the grill.

‘He’s kind of a bleeding heart fucking liberal.’ Cooper prods a steak with his fork. ‘Like some other people I could mention.’

‘Next to you Genghis Khan was a bleeding heart liberal.’

‘Genghis Khan was a pansy. Who dies of a fucking nosebleed?’

Matt shrugs easily. ‘He’d just married wife one hundred and fifty or something of the kind. Give him a break.’

Cooper shakes his head and then rubs his back. ‘A hundred and fifty wives. I bet you’d still only get blown on your damn birthday and then if you’re lucky.’

‘Not surprised you got divorced then.’

Cooper opens another beer and takes a sip. ‘You had something to do with that.’

Matt puts his bottle aside. ‘You see her?’

‘Some. She asked me to be a sperm donor. I said no. Things have been kinda… chilly since then. You see Janice?’

‘Sure, Matty’s only tiny; we can’t really avoid seeing each other. She hasn’t asked for anything. Mind you I haven’t tried shaking her down for pain meds.’

Cooper salutes him with his beer. ‘Fuck you.’

‘Fuck me? You look like you’re about to topple over.’

‘Bring it on.’

Matt shakes his head. ‘You getting help?’

‘I go to a doc and the department will have me off the streets. I’d be lucky if they don’t make me take medical retirement,’ Cooper growls.

‘Does your trainee know?’

‘No. Yes. Of course he fucking knows. He’d be an idiot not to. I wouldn’t train an idiot. I have some pride you know.’

‘Yeah, it’s trainees with daddy issues or nothing.’

Cooper takes the steaks from the grill and puts them on plates before turning off the grill. ‘Every fucker has daddy issues.’

‘Seems like.’

Cooper garnishes the steaks and adds salad before handing one of the plates to Matt. ‘So you remarried?’

‘Can’t.’

Cooper looks at him for a long moment. ‘What’s his name?’

‘Mohinder, he’s a professor of genetics.’

‘You’re some Indian professor’s toyboy now?’

Matt takes a photograph out of his wallet. ‘That’s us.’

Cooper takes the photograph and scrutinises it closer. ‘That’s not a professor. That’s a damn male model. Christ, Parkman, how’d you bag that?’ He narrows his eyes. ‘Did you arrest him?’

Matt rolls his eyes and takes the photo back. ‘He likes beefy guys.’

‘And you’re the best he could find?’

‘Shut up.’

Cooper tucks into his steak. ‘How’s Janice about that whole thing?’

‘Fine. Why wouldn’t she be? I never pretended I didn’t like men.’

Cooper looks at him sourly. ‘If you’d not split up for months during your training then you might’ve. Everyone pretends like it’s so fucking easy coming out these days.’

‘In the force? You yanking my chain? I still get looks in the showers.’

‘Nobody said you had to be out.’

‘Oh what? I spend the rest of my life cowering in the closet like you?’ Matt asks.

‘You don’t fucking know me!’ Cooper growls, shoving Matt backwards.

‘Does anyone know you? Does your trainee know about you?’

‘Yeah, Ben fucking knows and not because I gotta make some big political statement about how I live my life.’

Matt chews on a piece of steak. ‘Good.’

‘I’m not fucking him if that’s what you’re thinking.’

Matt smiles and his eyes twinkle. ‘Of course not, you’re his training officer. If you slept with him you’d be breaking eight types of guidelines for ethical behaviour.’

Cooper puts his empty plate aside. ‘Didn’t hear you yelping about it at the time.’

‘I remember a lot of yelping.’

‘Not of the “no, stop” variety.’

‘Oh, no,’ Matt agrees. ‘Not that sort of yelping.’

‘You regret it?’

‘I regret you were married,’ Matt says honestly. ‘I felt shit about that. Then I got back with Janice. Got married. I didn’t screw around but she did. Maybe I had it coming.’

‘Don’t think it works that way.’ Cooper folds his arms. ‘There was an APB out on your old man a while back.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah. Fraud, minor assault, and other low level shit. It made me laugh thinking maybe he’d get locked up with my dad,’ Cooper says. ‘Wouldn’t that be cute.’

‘They could braid each other’s hair, if my dad had hair anymore.’

‘You seen him lately?’ Cooper asks.

‘Yeah. Wouldn’t recommend it. It wasn’t worth it,’ Matt says sourly.

‘Wasn’t asking for your recommendation.’

‘Sure you were,’ Matt says with a shrug.

‘Yeah, maybe. You a good detective?’

‘I do okay.’

‘Okay?’ Cooper asks. ‘Christ, Parkman. You were a great uniform officer but you kept panting after that detective shield like it was the last pussy in the brothel window and now you’re only “okay” at it?’

‘What’re you my lifestyle coach?’ Matt laughs.

‘No, asshole, I’m your ex-training officer looking at all that training going to waste.’

Matt taps the wall with his foot. ‘Does your “guy” do anything else around the house?’

‘He’s pretty handy.’

Matt raises his eyebrows. ‘Better than me?’

‘It was your first fucking time with a guy. You were all fingers and thumbs,’ Cooper snorts.

Matt thumps his chest with his fist. ‘I’m crushed! Besides it was your first time with a man too. Some training officer you turned out to be.’

Cooper smiles. ‘I’ve had a lot of practice since then.’

‘Me too. I also have a boyfriend.’

‘Well aren’t you fucking adorable.’



Matt unlocks the car door and looks back over at the doorway.

‘You can stay over. I promise not to ravish you.’

‘I have to take Molly to school,’ Matt explains.

Cooper raises his eyebrows. ‘That would the girl in the photograph.’

‘She would. We adopted her last year.’

‘Jesus Christ, you’re too fucking much,’ Cooper says, shaking his head. ‘I should’ve spiked your drink.’

Matt smiles easily. ‘I only had one, and you wouldn’t waste your meds.’

‘Hell no. Go on then, fuck off back to your gorgeous boyfriend and your two point four kids.’

‘You should give it a go some time.’ Matt gets into the car, shuts the door, and winds down the window. ‘See you around, John.’

‘See you, Matt. Try not to get yourself blown up or shot.’


The End