Changing Teams, Part Six
Title: Changing Teams
Author: J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: White Collar; Friendship, pre-slash, and slash (Peter-Neal, Elizabeth approves)
Disclaimer: Alas, I don't own White Collar or the characters.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Mozzie's perceptive observations cause Neal to rethink the nature of his partnership with Peter. Peter/Neal friendship, pre-slash and a bit of slash. Mild, consensual corporal discipline of an adult.
Link To Part One
~oOo~
Neal slumped in the passenger’s seat and folded his arms across his chest, trying to ignore the pain of sitting down.
“Are you going to sulk the whole ride?” Peter inquired.
“I just might,” he answered, favoring the agent with a reproving glare.
“I thought you wanted the spanking.”
“I did--and I don’t regret it. You have a wicked way with your hand.”
The agent grunted. “Then why are you sulking?”
“Because I wanted sex afterwards. Or, if that was too much to ask, I wanted you to massage my ass to make it feel better. And if that was too much, I wanted you to at least hold me.”
He paused to let out a melodramatic sigh. “Really, Peter. It would have taken so little effort to make me happy.”
“It was a punishment, Neal. Making you happy wasn’t my goal.”
Neal rolled his eyes. “You are, in many respects, an admirable lord and master. But you still require extensive training.” He paused to give Peter a measuring look. “Fortunately, I’m up to the task.”
“Lucky me,” Peter muttered.
Neal smiled and uncrossed his arms. His sulking had served its purpose, so he relaxed and thought back to Peter’s lecture that morning--the lecture he had delivered as he sat on his couch with Neal over his lap. The lecture he had punctuated with sharp smacks to Neal’s bared ass.
The gist of the lecture was simple: don’t ever, ever eavesdrop on Peter and Elizabeth again. Really, such a simple message shouldn’t have required so many smacks.
But it all worked out: somewhere between the lecture and the smacks Peter decided that Neal should move into the basement as soon as possible, to decrease the temptation to eavesdrop. (As if Neal would be remotely tempted to spy on them when he wasn’t the subject of their conversation. Of course, he probably was the subject as often as not.)
Neal should be cringing at the thought of a basement apartment, but Peter’s basement wasn’t half bad. The place had potential.
Better yet, Peter was letting him redecorate. The agent had even acquired Elizabeth’s approval for that plan. He’d had to call her and beg forgiveness first, of course. Then Neal got on the phone and blamed Peter for everything. That didn’t work, so he ended up begging for forgiveness as well. (Peter wore a satisfied smirk while he listened to Neal’s half of that conversation.)
But after all that, Elizabeth agreed to meet them at the home improvement store to help pick out new paint for what would become the bedroom. Peter was willing to foot the bill not only for the paint, but for the furniture and window treatments.
Well, technically, Peter hadn’t mentioned window treatments. They probably weren’t on his radar, but Neal assumed they were included.
In addition to the decent-sized junk room that was to become his bedroom, there was a workout room, an enormous bathroom and a large room that Peter had intended for a pool table and bar. That dream had ended, but it would suit Neal just fine as a living room.
So a bedroom, living room, bathroom and work-out room. No kitchen, but Neal could live without that. He’d be having most of his meals with the Burkes anyway.
Neal bestowed a glowing smile on Peter, which seemed to make the agent suspicious. “What’s that for?” he demanded.
“The vast amount of money you’re going to be shelling out for the redecorating.”
Peter glanced at him again as he switched lanes. “Yeah, well, I have to take care of my pet convict.”
There was a teasing note in his voice, so Neal didn’t take offense. “Exactly. I chose the right owner.”
“Just remember that no matter how much we spend, the basement won’t compare to your rooms at June’s.”
“It doesn’t need to. As much as I love June’s, it’s not my home.” The words were out of his mouth before he could think them over. Neal reddened, realizing how sappy they sounded. “Besides,” he added, “I’m not giving up June’s place yet.”
“I know. But if this works out, I’ll have to inform the agency of your change in residence--and change your radius accordingly. You won’t be able to roam Manhattan any longer, Neal. Not on your own.”
“Yeah, I figured. How are you going to sell Hughes on me moving in with you?”
Peter grinned. “Oh, I can sell him on closer supervision, believe me.”
“He won’t suspect anything?”
“What should he suspect?” Peter asked as he turned off the highway. “That you and Elizabeth are trying to force me into bed with you?”
Neal considered that. “You’re probably right,” he conceded. “That won’t be his first thought.”
“No, it won’t.”
“So he’ll be ok with this?”
“Yeah. He knows I love you, Neal, but he assumes it’s a father-son thing. So even if I am crazy enough to sleep with you--and I’m not saying I am--we should be able to keep it under wraps. And we’d have to, because it would look like coercion--”
But Neal had stopped listening. His mind had frozen at the casual way Peter had proclaimed his love. Ok, he hadn’t exactly proclaimed it; he had presented it as an obvious fact. And he hadn’t said it was anything more than a father-son thing. Peter still wasn’t convinced that their bromance should turn into a romance.
But the fact that Peter loved him at all--as a son, as a brother, or as a romantic partner--floored Neal.
“Caffrey, are you listening to me?”
“Yeah,” Neal answered, lying out of habit.
Peter gave him a look that made it clear he wasn’t fooled. Then he shook his head, sighing. “Never mind--we can talk about it later. We’re almost to the store.”
~oOo~
Peter couldn’t believe it. He’d just spent five hours shopping with Neal and Elizabeth. It took Caffrey that long to pick out the paint he wanted for his bedroom. Then Peter had spent another two hours helping to clear out the room. He should have been allowed to relax after that, but instead El was explaining the new schedule she’d drawn up for him.
“Neal has you Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights,” she explained. “I have you Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights--except once a month, when Neal can have a Saturday.”
He stared at the schedule, which El had just laid on the counter in front of him.
“El, I’m not sleeping with the kid yet. And I’m not sure I’m going to.”
She snorted. “Oh, honey, it’s just a matter of time. You just have to stop thinking of him as a child. Now I know you want to relax, but shouldn’t you help him put the primer coat on?”
“I’ll go down in a minute. El, the schedule puts me with Neal this Saturday. That’s tonight!”
“Of course,” she said as she hugged him from behind. “Even if you don’t ravish him, you two need a night to talk things over.” She paused to kiss the top of his head. “Just try this,” she pleaded. “Give the new schedule a week and see how things go.”
~oOo~
Neal noticed his hand shaking as he poured wine for Peter and himself. Damn it! Why was he so nervous?
So far, the evening had gone perfectly. Elizabeth was spending the night out on the town with a couple of girlfriends in order to give her two boys some space. (That’s how she explained it, at any event.) Neal and Peter had opted to stay in, devoting more time to the Xbox.
That had proved a wise move. As long as they were arguing about story-line options in Dragon Age and fighting over the controller, Peter was relaxed. Neal could lean up against him, or sit on the floor with one arm on his lap or even put his head on his lap. But now that the game was away . . .
Neal sighed. Things couldn’t be more awkward.
Nonetheless, he painted a smooth smile on his face as he crossed over to the couch, wine in hand. He handed Peter a glass as he sat next to the agent.
“Cheers,” Peter said, raising the glass.
Neal rolled his eyes. “That’s it? Just cheers? You can’t think of anything more romantic?”
Peter gave him a slight grin. “Elizabeth didn’t warn you?”
Neal grinned back and suddenly the tension between them evaporated. This was Peter, after all--he didn’t need to be nervous.
Peter set his glass down and nodded at him. “Com’ere,” he said.
Neal followed suit with his glass and headed straight into Peter’s arms. He closed his eyes as he felt Peter’s lips on his--and then he opened his mouth to the agent’s probing.
It was a long while before they broke apart. Peter ran his fingers through Neal’s hair and then framed Neal’s face with his hands.
“You don’t have to do this,” Peter said.
Neal flashed him an exasperated smile as he shook his head. “This isn’t coercion, Peter. I know you’re not going to send me back to prison if I don’t sleep with you.”
Peter took his hands off Neal’s face. “Right. But I want you to understand something else, Neal. The fact that you’re sleeping with me won’t stop me from putting you back in prison if you deserve it. You take one step out of line--”
Neal cut him off with a kiss. “I know. And you know how much leverage you’re giving me. I could blackmail you if you tried to put me back inside. I could claim that you were coercing me.”
“You could. And I’d lose my job--at least.”
Neal gave him an inviting look. “We could end up sharing a prison cell.”
Peter laughed. “That would be interesting. But I know you, Neal. I don’t trust you not to run if Kate crooks her finger at you--but I do trust you not to blackmail me.”
“Good--because I’d never blackmail you. And I won’t run, Peter. Even if Kate--”
But Peter put a finger over his mouth. “Stop. I don’t want you to promise me anything about Kate yet.” He paused, giving Neal a measuring look. “When you tell me it’s over between you and Kate, it can’t be just an impulsive gesture.”
Something seemed to be stuck in Neal’s throat, so he swallowed. Then he nodded.
“Ok,” Peter said. “There’s one more thing, Neal. I--I don’t want you to think you owe me this.”
Neal raised his eyebrows. “Owe you?”
“Right. I don’t want you sleeping with me as a way of repaying me for getting you out of prison, or for the money I’m spending on you now . . .” He let his voice trail off.
Neal sighed. “Oh, Peter,” he said in a voice of mock disbelief. Then he shifted so he could snuggle against the agent. Peter obliged him by wrapping his arms around him.
“I know I don’t have to sleep with you to repay you,” Neal continued, resting his head on Peter’s chest. “You own me, remember? It’s your job to take care of me.”
“Oh yeah? So I have a responsibility to let you into my home and spend my hard-earned money on you?”
Neal nodded. “You do. And you really dropped the ball when you left me in that roach motel.”
Peter snorted. “This is what gets you into trouble, Neal. You’ve got one hell of a sense of entitlement.”
“Hmmmm,” Neal said, snuggling closer. “You should spank it out of me.”
“I might try--but right now I’d rather bring you to bed.”
Neal glanced up at him. “Rewarding bad behavior? You’re setting a dangerous precedent, Peter.”
“It’s more like rewarding a bad mindset,” the agent clarified. “Now let’s get upstairs and see some bad behavior.”
Link to Epilogue