So Close, So Coldangelita26August 6 2014, 22:28:16 UTC
This one was fun! It went on the literal side with a bunch of h/c thrown in too :D
"Grab my hand, Neal."
He could see Peter's hand, outstretched from where he was perched precariously near the jagged edges of the ice, but Neal couldn't move. His entire body was stiff and numb. It was getting harder to breath, harder to keep his eyes open, harder to focus.
"Neal, you're so close, but I need you to reach out and take my hand. Can you do that? Neal?"
There was an edge to Peter's voice that caused Neal's fingers to twitch ever so slightly toward his friend. The truth of the matter, though, was that Neal was stuck. He was clinging to a pylon in the frozen Hudson, having been pushed over the pier by a suspect before the cavalry could arrive. His muscles were no longer under his command, not matter how much Peter yelled at him.
"Neal!"
"Huh?" he managed to say as his eyes lazily opened and turned toward Peter.
"Don't you dare go to sleep! Now, give me your damn hand, Neal!"
"Can't."
"Yes, you can. It's just a few inches. You're so close, buddy. So close. Just reach out and I’m there."
Neal's fingers twitched again. This time they were responding to the desperation in Peter's voice. Neal could feel himself slipping away. His hold on conscious was shaky at best, and he couldn't quite keep his eyes open any longer.
"Neal!"
His body started to sink and icy water rushed up his nose just as he was jerked sideways.
"I've got you," Peter murmured in his ear, and it was the last thing that Neal heard before everything went dark.
~~!!~~
Neal woke in a cocoon of heat. He pushed at the blankets weighing him down but was too weak to actually move them.
"Hey, hey, calm down," Elizabeth's soothing voice was followed by slim fingers running through his hair. "Everything's okay."
"El?"
"Are you awake this time?"
"Mmhmm." Neal raised his heavy eyelids and glanced around the room. Peter was sitting in a chair in the corner, wrapped in a blanket, and apparently asleep. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was perched on the edge of his bed, smiling down at him. "What happened?"
"You did an amazing impression of an icicle for a while. How are you feeling?"
"Hot." He wanted to say more, but he couldn't get the words from his brain to his mouth. Instead, he yawned hugely, and his eyelids drooped.
She laughed softly and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "Get some rest, sweetie. Everything's going to be okay."
Re: So Close, So Coldangelita26August 15 2014, 00:26:19 UTC
:D It was a lot of fun to write. It probably says something terrible about me that I love getting into Neal's head and trying to figure out what he's feeling when I do these serious h/c situations. :D
Re: So Close, So Coldangelita26August 15 2014, 00:30:12 UTC
Yay! I was hoping the tension would come through there - I was definitely trying to bring it out. Then, I wanted El to give some comfort - it's been a while since I wrote that, so it was fun to get back to it.
Re: So Close, So Coldangelita26August 15 2014, 00:34:26 UTC
I so enjoy writing NealWhump :D It's even more fun when Peter's there but can't quite help or doesn't know what to do until he figures it out. Thank you!
"Grab my hand, Neal."
He could see Peter's hand, outstretched from where he was perched precariously near the jagged edges of the ice, but Neal couldn't move. His entire body was stiff and numb. It was getting harder to breath, harder to keep his eyes open, harder to focus.
"Neal, you're so close, but I need you to reach out and take my hand. Can you do that? Neal?"
There was an edge to Peter's voice that caused Neal's fingers to twitch ever so slightly toward his friend. The truth of the matter, though, was that Neal was stuck. He was clinging to a pylon in the frozen Hudson, having been pushed over the pier by a suspect before the cavalry could arrive. His muscles were no longer under his command, not matter how much Peter yelled at him.
"Neal!"
"Huh?" he managed to say as his eyes lazily opened and turned toward Peter.
"Don't you dare go to sleep! Now, give me your damn hand, Neal!"
"Can't."
"Yes, you can. It's just a few inches. You're so close, buddy. So close. Just reach out and I’m there."
Neal's fingers twitched again. This time they were responding to the desperation in Peter's voice. Neal could feel himself slipping away. His hold on conscious was shaky at best, and he couldn't quite keep his eyes open any longer.
"Neal!"
His body started to sink and icy water rushed up his nose just as he was jerked sideways.
"I've got you," Peter murmured in his ear, and it was the last thing that Neal heard before everything went dark.
~~!!~~
Neal woke in a cocoon of heat. He pushed at the blankets weighing him down but was too weak to actually move them.
"Hey, hey, calm down," Elizabeth's soothing voice was followed by slim fingers running through his hair. "Everything's okay."
"El?"
"Are you awake this time?"
"Mmhmm." Neal raised his heavy eyelids and glanced around the room. Peter was sitting in a chair in the corner, wrapped in a blanket, and apparently asleep. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was perched on the edge of his bed, smiling down at him. "What happened?"
"You did an amazing impression of an icicle for a while. How are you feeling?"
"Hot." He wanted to say more, but he couldn't get the words from his brain to his mouth. Instead, he yawned hugely, and his eyelids drooped.
She laughed softly and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "Get some rest, sweetie. Everything's going to be okay."
~End
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I could feel the tension. Was Neal going to be able to reach out to Peter? Was Peter going to be able to get hold of him?
And, then El running her fingers through his hair. Yum.
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