FIC: Both Too Far and Not Far Enough
Title: Both Too Far and Not Far Enough
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Follows on immediately from 3:04 - The Dentist of Detroit
Characters: Peter, Neal
Word Count: <700
Summary: They had both said too much, but perhaps it still wasn’t enough.
Peter and Neal stood side by side for a moment; Mozzie and Mr Jeffries still audible behind them, New York in its dusk splendour before them. It was an in-between place, and they were both lost in their own thoughts. Peter was the first to break the fragile peace.
“Was there something you wanted to say to me, Neal?” He turned to look at the blue-eyed con and caught the consternation on his face. It was a sure sign that Neal was trying to work out exactly what Peter wanted to hear. Neal reminded Peter of the abused housewives and downtrodden submissives he had occasionally come across in his career. One wrong word could get them beaten, hurt, or even killed. In Neal’s case, it was the threat of back to prison, but the theory was the same. Peter regretted how often he had used those words to make the con toe the line, because what did that make him in this simile? Neal had never said ‘no’ to anything Peter proposed, and now Peter was beginning to question if it was because he was afraid to.
“Ahh, thank you for helping out Mozzie?” Neal ventured, a cautious smile on his face. Peter sighed. When had it become like this between them? But he knew the answer. It had started with ’you did this’ and prove it.
Peter shook his head. “No comment on ‘next time your hot wife gets lonely...’?
“Oh.” Neal blushed. Blushed! “Too far?”
“Just wasn’t expecting it. I thought you respected El?” Peter was curious. The two were close - had been from the beginning - and had collaborated against him on more than one occasion. Had he ruined that too, when he asked for her help examining the fragment of Neal’s painting? (And he knew it was Neal’s, no matter what the tests had told him.)
“I do.” Neal rushed to assure him. “And I know she would never. I just...”
The slump to Neal’s shoulders was an unnatural look on him. Peter took pity. “We both cut a little too close to home, huh?”
“I never lied to you, and I’ve always had your back.” Neal asserted again. Peter had a sick, fluttering feeling in his gut that told him Neal was talking in the past tense.
“I know. Neal...” It was Peter’s turn to hunch over. “I’ve always trusted you to have my back, and I still do, but I can’t trust you to tell me the truth. Not when I know - I know - that you have the German art, and that you and Mozzie are planning something.” He took Neal’s continued silence as the confession that he could never make. It was time for his own reveal. “You scare me, Neal.” The younger man was shocked. “You have so much going for you; looks, brains, a second chance. I’m afraid I’ll turn around one day and you’ll be gone, throwing it all away, and Neal Caffrey will be dead.”
“Peter...” Neal’s voice was torn.
“I don’t expect you to suddenly change everything you are. I’m just saying...I like who you are, Neal. Beyond your alleged past, and the many faces you wear, there is a good man, with integrity and strength. If you stay here, you can be that man. If you run...” Peter shook his head. “You have options here. Just...think about it. Don’t do anything rash.” He clapped Neal on the shoulder, squeezing softly, before turning to leave. “I’m going to go home. El will be fretting.”
Neal followed him to the door, ignoring Mozzie and his friend. Just as Peter was almost through it, pulling it closed behind himself, Neal spoke up, softly, “Peter. Thank you. And...I will.”
Peter smiled, nodded his acknowledgment of everything Neal was saying with those few words, and went home with a better feeling for the future than he had felt since the U-boat explosion had sent them spiralling.
Neal closed the door, looked at Mozzie, and headed into the bathroom to clean up more conflicted than ever.
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Follows on immediately from 3:04 - The Dentist of Detroit
Characters: Peter, Neal
Word Count: <700
Summary: They had both said too much, but perhaps it still wasn’t enough.
Peter and Neal stood side by side for a moment; Mozzie and Mr Jeffries still audible behind them, New York in its dusk splendour before them. It was an in-between place, and they were both lost in their own thoughts. Peter was the first to break the fragile peace.
“Was there something you wanted to say to me, Neal?” He turned to look at the blue-eyed con and caught the consternation on his face. It was a sure sign that Neal was trying to work out exactly what Peter wanted to hear. Neal reminded Peter of the abused housewives and downtrodden submissives he had occasionally come across in his career. One wrong word could get them beaten, hurt, or even killed. In Neal’s case, it was the threat of back to prison, but the theory was the same. Peter regretted how often he had used those words to make the con toe the line, because what did that make him in this simile? Neal had never said ‘no’ to anything Peter proposed, and now Peter was beginning to question if it was because he was afraid to.
“Ahh, thank you for helping out Mozzie?” Neal ventured, a cautious smile on his face. Peter sighed. When had it become like this between them? But he knew the answer. It had started with ’you did this’ and prove it.
Peter shook his head. “No comment on ‘next time your hot wife gets lonely...’?
“Oh.” Neal blushed. Blushed! “Too far?”
“Just wasn’t expecting it. I thought you respected El?” Peter was curious. The two were close - had been from the beginning - and had collaborated against him on more than one occasion. Had he ruined that too, when he asked for her help examining the fragment of Neal’s painting? (And he knew it was Neal’s, no matter what the tests had told him.)
“I do.” Neal rushed to assure him. “And I know she would never. I just...”
The slump to Neal’s shoulders was an unnatural look on him. Peter took pity. “We both cut a little too close to home, huh?”
“I never lied to you, and I’ve always had your back.” Neal asserted again. Peter had a sick, fluttering feeling in his gut that told him Neal was talking in the past tense.
“I know. Neal...” It was Peter’s turn to hunch over. “I’ve always trusted you to have my back, and I still do, but I can’t trust you to tell me the truth. Not when I know - I know - that you have the German art, and that you and Mozzie are planning something.” He took Neal’s continued silence as the confession that he could never make. It was time for his own reveal. “You scare me, Neal.” The younger man was shocked. “You have so much going for you; looks, brains, a second chance. I’m afraid I’ll turn around one day and you’ll be gone, throwing it all away, and Neal Caffrey will be dead.”
“Peter...” Neal’s voice was torn.
“I don’t expect you to suddenly change everything you are. I’m just saying...I like who you are, Neal. Beyond your alleged past, and the many faces you wear, there is a good man, with integrity and strength. If you stay here, you can be that man. If you run...” Peter shook his head. “You have options here. Just...think about it. Don’t do anything rash.” He clapped Neal on the shoulder, squeezing softly, before turning to leave. “I’m going to go home. El will be fretting.”
Neal followed him to the door, ignoring Mozzie and his friend. Just as Peter was almost through it, pulling it closed behind himself, Neal spoke up, softly, “Peter. Thank you. And...I will.”
Peter smiled, nodded his acknowledgment of everything Neal was saying with those few words, and went home with a better feeling for the future than he had felt since the U-boat explosion had sent them spiralling.
Neal closed the door, looked at Mozzie, and headed into the bathroom to clean up more conflicted than ever.