White Collar Ficlets!
I want to take a moment to thank elrhiarhodan , whose Prompfests always manage to pull me in and get my creative juices flowing, even if I only end up writing a few short fics. I'm working on a slightly longer piece, and the mid-season finale has put something new in my head, but the things I've actually finished recently are all fills from the last Promptfest, which ran through most of July (and a few days of August).
And now, here's the fic:
Note: No real spoilers to speak of, though the 1st one makes a very general reference to events in "Dentist of Detroit." All are pretty much G-rated, though the last one could be read as being somewhat suggestive. :-) ETA: I can't put all four ficlets in one post, so the first two are here, and the last two will be in a separate post.
Prompt: Blake - Anticipation
Characters/Pairings: Blake, Jones
Summary: It's hard being the new guy
Word Count: 341
Agent Steven Blake had been thrilled when he landed a position in the New York office’s White Collar division. He had tried his best to be cool and collected when he got the news, but inside he had been brimming with excitement as he anticipated working with the legendary Peter Burke. And if he were honest, he’d also been more than a little curious about what it was going to be like working with the unit’s equally famous - or should he say infamous - CI, Neal Caffrey.
But he’s only been working here for a couple of months when he finds himself sitting at his desk on a Monday morning, grimly anticipating being on the receiving end of a double finger point followed by a good chewing out, having let Caffrey’s strange little friend sneak off to confront that mobster. There’s a case file open in front of him on his desk, but at the moment he’s not even looking at it, instead staring into the middle distance, lost in thought.
Which is why he’s startled by the sound of Agent Jones’ voice - when did he get in, and how did he end up right next to Blake’s desk? “Blake,” Jones says, “everything okay? You look like your waiting to get called into the principal’s office.” He looks up, startled, and though Jones has an amused smile on his face, there is something in his eyes…. It looks like understanding.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?” he asks, even if he’s not sure he wants to hear the answer.
“Maybe,” Agent Jones allows with a shrug. “But, well…Mozzie is…Mozzie. Peter will understand.”
Blake thinks he should probably still be worried, at least a little, and he guesses he is, but he also feels a little less of an idiot. “Thanks,” he says, and he really is grateful.
“No problem,” Agent Jones replies. “You’re part of the team now. We’ve got your back.” A brief pause. “But it wouldn’t hurt to volunteer to do some extra paperwork or time in the van. Or both.”
Prompt: Satchmo - Smooth
Characters/Pairings: Satchmo, mentions of Peter, El & Neal
Summary: Trouble shows up in the night. Satchmo POV.
Word Count: 570
Satchmo is a smart dog - his mom tells him this often, and he’s very good at reading the moods of his people. He knows when mommy is sad and needs him to come and sit with her. He knows when daddy is restless and needs to go for a walk, and Satchmo is good at walks. But right now, Satchmo is confused. He had been curled up on his bed in the corner of the living room, asleep, when there was a knocking at the door. That was strange enough - knocking didn’t usually happen when it was dark outside and Satchmo was asleep. Daddy came downstairs and opened the door, and Satchmo got up to look. It was Mr. Neal! Except Mr. Neal didn’t even say hello to Satchmo, just walked right past, and then he and daddy started talking. Satchmo is a smart dog, and he could tell that something was Not Right, but after a little while the talking stopped and Mr. Neal went upstairs to the room he sometimes sleeps in when he comes to visit, and daddy went back to his and mommy’s room. Satchmo, who is good at helping when people are Upset, but who isn’t allowed in mommy and daddy’s room at night, went to check on Mr. Neal. Mr. Neal was not in bed, though. He was going for a walk. Which was strange, since he was inside the house, though Satchmo has seen his daddy do the same thing sometimes. Satchmo watched for a little while, then whined to get Mr. Neal’s attention. “Hey, Satch,” Mr. Neal said, and then he stopped walking and reached down to scratch Satchmo behind his ears. This made Satchmo happy, and it seemed to make Mr. Neal happy too, and after a little while longer, Mr. Neal changed his clothes and got into bed. Satchmo curled up on the floor nearby to keep watch, and eventually both of them fell asleep. Satchmo wasn’t sure what woke him up when it was still dark, but Mr. Neal was tossing and turning in the bed, and the bedclothes were all twisted up and one of the pillows was on the floor. Satchmo knows that something is Very Wrong, and he pads over to the bed, butts his head against Mr. Neal, and licks his face. Mr. Neal wakes up, and he looks scared - Satchmo knows what “scared” looks like - but then he sees that it’s just Satchmo, and he smiles pets Satcmo and tells him that everything is “all right.” But when Satchmo wakes up again, Mr. Neal is gone, and the bed is made up all neat and smooth, and somehow it’s as if Mr. Neal were never there. And when Satchmo goes downstairs, Mommy is sitting on the sofa, and she has a look on her face like after mommy and daddy had brought a new brother home for Satchmo, but little Duke had gotten sick and never got better. Daddy comes home later that day, and he looks is Unhappy too, but he looks more like he used to when he would find Satchmo chewing on the furniture, before Satchmo learned better. Mommy and daddy talk in quiet voices for a while, and even Satchmo, who is good at helping people who are Upset, can’t seem to make things better. He doesn’t understand this, anymore then he understands why Mr. Neal never comes back again.
And now, here's the fic:
Note: No real spoilers to speak of, though the 1st one makes a very general reference to events in "Dentist of Detroit." All are pretty much G-rated, though the last one could be read as being somewhat suggestive. :-) ETA: I can't put all four ficlets in one post, so the first two are here, and the last two will be in a separate post.
Prompt: Blake - Anticipation
Characters/Pairings: Blake, Jones
Summary: It's hard being the new guy
Word Count: 341
Agent Steven Blake had been thrilled when he landed a position in the New York office’s White Collar division. He had tried his best to be cool and collected when he got the news, but inside he had been brimming with excitement as he anticipated working with the legendary Peter Burke. And if he were honest, he’d also been more than a little curious about what it was going to be like working with the unit’s equally famous - or should he say infamous - CI, Neal Caffrey.
But he’s only been working here for a couple of months when he finds himself sitting at his desk on a Monday morning, grimly anticipating being on the receiving end of a double finger point followed by a good chewing out, having let Caffrey’s strange little friend sneak off to confront that mobster. There’s a case file open in front of him on his desk, but at the moment he’s not even looking at it, instead staring into the middle distance, lost in thought.
Which is why he’s startled by the sound of Agent Jones’ voice - when did he get in, and how did he end up right next to Blake’s desk? “Blake,” Jones says, “everything okay? You look like your waiting to get called into the principal’s office.” He looks up, startled, and though Jones has an amused smile on his face, there is something in his eyes…. It looks like understanding.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?” he asks, even if he’s not sure he wants to hear the answer.
“Maybe,” Agent Jones allows with a shrug. “But, well…Mozzie is…Mozzie. Peter will understand.”
Blake thinks he should probably still be worried, at least a little, and he guesses he is, but he also feels a little less of an idiot. “Thanks,” he says, and he really is grateful.
“No problem,” Agent Jones replies. “You’re part of the team now. We’ve got your back.” A brief pause. “But it wouldn’t hurt to volunteer to do some extra paperwork or time in the van. Or both.”
Prompt: Satchmo - Smooth
Characters/Pairings: Satchmo, mentions of Peter, El & Neal
Summary: Trouble shows up in the night. Satchmo POV.
Word Count: 570
Satchmo is a smart dog - his mom tells him this often, and he’s very good at reading the moods of his people. He knows when mommy is sad and needs him to come and sit with her. He knows when daddy is restless and needs to go for a walk, and Satchmo is good at walks. But right now, Satchmo is confused. He had been curled up on his bed in the corner of the living room, asleep, when there was a knocking at the door. That was strange enough - knocking didn’t usually happen when it was dark outside and Satchmo was asleep. Daddy came downstairs and opened the door, and Satchmo got up to look. It was Mr. Neal! Except Mr. Neal didn’t even say hello to Satchmo, just walked right past, and then he and daddy started talking. Satchmo is a smart dog, and he could tell that something was Not Right, but after a little while the talking stopped and Mr. Neal went upstairs to the room he sometimes sleeps in when he comes to visit, and daddy went back to his and mommy’s room. Satchmo, who is good at helping when people are Upset, but who isn’t allowed in mommy and daddy’s room at night, went to check on Mr. Neal. Mr. Neal was not in bed, though. He was going for a walk. Which was strange, since he was inside the house, though Satchmo has seen his daddy do the same thing sometimes. Satchmo watched for a little while, then whined to get Mr. Neal’s attention. “Hey, Satch,” Mr. Neal said, and then he stopped walking and reached down to scratch Satchmo behind his ears. This made Satchmo happy, and it seemed to make Mr. Neal happy too, and after a little while longer, Mr. Neal changed his clothes and got into bed. Satchmo curled up on the floor nearby to keep watch, and eventually both of them fell asleep. Satchmo wasn’t sure what woke him up when it was still dark, but Mr. Neal was tossing and turning in the bed, and the bedclothes were all twisted up and one of the pillows was on the floor. Satchmo knows that something is Very Wrong, and he pads over to the bed, butts his head against Mr. Neal, and licks his face. Mr. Neal wakes up, and he looks scared - Satchmo knows what “scared” looks like - but then he sees that it’s just Satchmo, and he smiles pets Satcmo and tells him that everything is “all right.” But when Satchmo wakes up again, Mr. Neal is gone, and the bed is made up all neat and smooth, and somehow it’s as if Mr. Neal were never there. And when Satchmo goes downstairs, Mommy is sitting on the sofa, and she has a look on her face like after mommy and daddy had brought a new brother home for Satchmo, but little Duke had gotten sick and never got better. Daddy comes home later that day, and he looks is Unhappy too, but he looks more like he used to when he would find Satchmo chewing on the furniture, before Satchmo learned better. Mommy and daddy talk in quiet voices for a while, and even Satchmo, who is good at helping people who are Upset, can’t seem to make things better. He doesn’t understand this, anymore then he understands why Mr. Neal never comes back again.