STORY: Date (With A Surprise) (#3 The Archer & The Con Man Series)
Summary: The last two years were an emotional rollercoaster, for everyone involved. Now, it’s time to celebrate - first and foremost Neal and Peter’s new anniversary, but Peter might knock it out of the park, so to speak, with one simple action.
Notes: Another part of my “The Archer & The Con Man” series, written for Caffrey-Burke Day 2016. Set post-Season 6 of White Collar, with Neal back in New York, as a free man. Peter is still working as a SSA for the FBI White Collar Crimes Unit, while Neal does some freelancing for both Sterling & Bosch (art curator) and other companies (security advisor). And of course he continues to work for what is left of SHIELD. Peter/Neal and Phil/Clint are the main pairings here, other couples include Steve/Bucky, Tony/Bruce, Thor/Jane.
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Anyone who happened to run into Peter Burke these days, was either left with a smile or confused, mostly due to his behavior. Surprisingly enough, Neal found himself in the second group, despite the fact that he usually could read his partner like an open book. And no matter what he was doing at the moment, his mind kept dwelling on that fact.
Right now, he was sitting in the spacious, brand-new office of his longtime friend Phil Coulson at Stark Tower, and judging by the look the older man gave him, he must have zoned out again.
“Sorry, Phil, you were saying something?” Very smooth, Caffrey.
“Yeah, I was telling you that I suspect Clint having an affair with a gorilla.” If there was anything that hadn’t been changed by him “dying”, it was Phil’s very own brand of sarcasm. Sure, Clint and anyone else they both knew also had one, but Phil’s was, at least to Neal, really unique.
“No, you didn’t. And if you did, I absolutely wouldn’t believe you,” Neal gave back. He would never admit aloud, but deep down, he still was envious of the relationship his two best friends had. Given their lifestyles, he wasn’t around to witness all the sweet little moments, but Neal was privy to see some of the big milestones (or at least hear about it in all details, be it from Clint, Phil or Natasha). He wanted exactly that for himself, and for some wonderful months, he really thought he finally got it with Peter, but then the Panthers appeared on their radar, and everything - his friendships within the team, his relationship with Peter, and ultimately his life - went sour.
“So, why did you want to see me then?” Neal inquired. He didn’t want to appear impatient, but with his and Peter’s new anniversary on the horizon, he had to tend to some affairs before the big day.
“You got somewhere to be?”
“No, not for the,” Neal looked at his watch, “next three hours. After that, yes.”
“I won’t keep you so long.” Neal’s only answer was a raised eyebrow. “Clint, Tash and Steve are due back from a mission.”
Neal didn’t need to know more. Though he wasn’t working for the FBI and the White Collar team anymore, he couldn’t focus properly on anything whenever he knew that Peter and the team went out for an arrest. And that stayed that way until any of them let him know that Peter was unharmed.
“Look, Neal, I know it’s you and Peter’s anniversary, and I can understand if you want to celebrate it in a more private manner, but…”
“…you and Clint want to drop by?” Neal wouldn’t mind. After all, these two guys were responsible for him being back in New York exactly one year after the Panthers disaster, his own charade of faking his death and escaping to Paris.
“Not exactly, but I thought we would treat you to a nice dinner at this new restaurant he and I checked out on our last date.”
“Phil, I have to check it with Peter, but I’m pretty sure he won’t say no to a double date with the two of you.”
Phil nodded, and the two men spent the next few minutes with talking about anything that came to mind, before Neal got up and left.
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As predicted, Peter really didn’t mind of having to share this special evening with the other two men. At some point in the past, Neal had a guess it was in the “gap year” as everyone called his year of absence, Peter became friends with both Phil and Clint. And while Neal would’ve loved to see this with his own eyes, he was, on the other hand, glad that his partner didn’t have to go through all the mourning alone. If anyone, these two (along with all their other friends) could provide the support Peter needed back then.
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By the time October 23rd rolled around, Neal was utterly and thoroughly confused by Peter’s behavior. Not only was Peter in constant very good, almost giddy mood (though Neal would be the first to proudly take responsibility for that), the older man also put some manners on display you usually don’t see in relationships anymore these days. Like holding open every single door they were about to pass and letting Neal go ahead of him, or pulling the chair to let him sit down first, no matter where they were. Sure, Neal himself did the same things almost every time he met with June or Elizabeth, but that was more out of respect for these two formidable women (and because Ellen raised him that way). So what was Peter’s motive? And more interesting: why did Neal find it all so lovely and utterly sweet?
Work certainly didn’t give him much time to mull about it. He not only did a full security consulting with Manhattan Mutual, Sterling Bosch also was high in demand of his expertise and knowledge in the art world for two parallel ongoing trials. By the time he finally came home on Saturday afternoon, Neal was so ready to dive face first into their bed and sleep for the next 72 hours or so. Unfortunately for him, some 24 hours later, their double date demanded his physical presence as well, and so he put on another fine suit, selecting one of Byron’s Devore ones with a wonderful blue shirt.
At this moment, Peter was nowhere to be seen at their home, stating to Neal in an earlier phone call that one of his bosses wanted to go over something about a recently closed case and that Neal should meet up with Phil and Clint, he would join them later. Neal wasn’t exactly happy about it, but he had been working with for FBI himself long enough to know a thing or two about the inner works of the agency. Time was, in most cases, of the essence.
Around 7, Clint was the one to pick him up, and while they talked about almost everything during the ride, the archer perfectly evaded each of Neal’s attempts to get some more information about their destination.
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As they pulled into the parking garage of Stark Tower, Neal assumed that they were picking up Phil from work. But instead, Clint indicated that he should follow him into the building. Once again, Clint kept quiet about anything else, but now, Neal decided to go with the flow, so to speak, and accept whatever was happening in the next few minutes. An elevator ride later, they exited the car on the “party level” of Stark Tower (as Tony called it) - and Neal was stunned and shocked to the core.
Not only he saw Tony and Bruce, Steve and Bucky, Natasha, Maria, Pepper, all the other Avengers and some of Phil’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team scattered around the spacious room, but June, Diana, Clinton, Elizabeth and, to his surprise, Sara as well. But what finally caught his eyes was the small round table in the middle of the main floor, all decked out in white. Or more exactly, the man who was seated there - Peter.
As if on autopilot, Neal moved towards his lover, ignoring everyone else, his eyes locked with the rich brown ones of Peter.
“Hey, gorgeous!” was all Peter could say as a greeting before Neal pulled him up to his feet and down for a kiss, not caring at all that they weren’t alone.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Neal finally gave back before plopping down in the chair on his side of the table. For the first time since arriving here, he gave the whole room a once-over, noticing all the little trinkets that marked their relationship so far - a map of all the (alleged) places Neal went as a con man, a picture of the legendary green sucker he gave to Peter in their first meeting, the anklet, his Socrates bust, and a whole slew of other things Neal couldn’t even place on the timeline at the moment.
Suddenly, Peter got up again (when had he sat down?), and before Neal could even think about it, dropped down on one knee, which caused the whole room to go silent (F.R.I.D.A.Y. even stopped the music) and all their eyes on them.
“You know as well as I that I’m not good at words, especially when it comes to express my emotions. I’m always afraid that whatever will come out of my mouth will be misinterpreted as either too emotional or too detached, too coldhearted.” He saw Neal shaking his head slightly, telling him that at least the last part of the sentence wasn’t true at all. “But right now, I don’t care of any label anyone might put on me, right now, I’m letting my heart lead my tongue, and my heart only wants to tell you one thing: I love you, Neal, more than you probably will ever know, and more than I ever can show you every day. So, instead I’m kneeling here in front of you and request only one answer from you. Will you do me the honor and marry me?”
At some point during his speech, Peter had pulled out a small box from any of his suit’s pockets, and presented Neal now with a stunning yet simple Claddagh ring, adorned with deep blue heart.
“Yes, Peter, I will marry you!” Neal managed to say through the sudden frog in his throat before pulling Peter up on his feet (again) and kiss him with all his might. From a distance, he heard the others in the room cheering them on, but right here and now, the most important human was in his arms, and he was going to walk down the aisle with him. For the first time in long time, life really felt perfect for Neal Caffrey.
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The End
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HAPPY CAFFREY-BURKE DAY EVERYONE!!!
Notes: Another part of my “The Archer & The Con Man” series, written for Caffrey-Burke Day 2016. Set post-Season 6 of White Collar, with Neal back in New York, as a free man. Peter is still working as a SSA for the FBI White Collar Crimes Unit, while Neal does some freelancing for both Sterling & Bosch (art curator) and other companies (security advisor). And of course he continues to work for what is left of SHIELD. Peter/Neal and Phil/Clint are the main pairings here, other couples include Steve/Bucky, Tony/Bruce, Thor/Jane.
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Anyone who happened to run into Peter Burke these days, was either left with a smile or confused, mostly due to his behavior. Surprisingly enough, Neal found himself in the second group, despite the fact that he usually could read his partner like an open book. And no matter what he was doing at the moment, his mind kept dwelling on that fact.
Right now, he was sitting in the spacious, brand-new office of his longtime friend Phil Coulson at Stark Tower, and judging by the look the older man gave him, he must have zoned out again.
“Sorry, Phil, you were saying something?” Very smooth, Caffrey.
“Yeah, I was telling you that I suspect Clint having an affair with a gorilla.” If there was anything that hadn’t been changed by him “dying”, it was Phil’s very own brand of sarcasm. Sure, Clint and anyone else they both knew also had one, but Phil’s was, at least to Neal, really unique.
“No, you didn’t. And if you did, I absolutely wouldn’t believe you,” Neal gave back. He would never admit aloud, but deep down, he still was envious of the relationship his two best friends had. Given their lifestyles, he wasn’t around to witness all the sweet little moments, but Neal was privy to see some of the big milestones (or at least hear about it in all details, be it from Clint, Phil or Natasha). He wanted exactly that for himself, and for some wonderful months, he really thought he finally got it with Peter, but then the Panthers appeared on their radar, and everything - his friendships within the team, his relationship with Peter, and ultimately his life - went sour.
“So, why did you want to see me then?” Neal inquired. He didn’t want to appear impatient, but with his and Peter’s new anniversary on the horizon, he had to tend to some affairs before the big day.
“You got somewhere to be?”
“No, not for the,” Neal looked at his watch, “next three hours. After that, yes.”
“I won’t keep you so long.” Neal’s only answer was a raised eyebrow. “Clint, Tash and Steve are due back from a mission.”
Neal didn’t need to know more. Though he wasn’t working for the FBI and the White Collar team anymore, he couldn’t focus properly on anything whenever he knew that Peter and the team went out for an arrest. And that stayed that way until any of them let him know that Peter was unharmed.
“Look, Neal, I know it’s you and Peter’s anniversary, and I can understand if you want to celebrate it in a more private manner, but…”
“…you and Clint want to drop by?” Neal wouldn’t mind. After all, these two guys were responsible for him being back in New York exactly one year after the Panthers disaster, his own charade of faking his death and escaping to Paris.
“Not exactly, but I thought we would treat you to a nice dinner at this new restaurant he and I checked out on our last date.”
“Phil, I have to check it with Peter, but I’m pretty sure he won’t say no to a double date with the two of you.”
Phil nodded, and the two men spent the next few minutes with talking about anything that came to mind, before Neal got up and left.
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As predicted, Peter really didn’t mind of having to share this special evening with the other two men. At some point in the past, Neal had a guess it was in the “gap year” as everyone called his year of absence, Peter became friends with both Phil and Clint. And while Neal would’ve loved to see this with his own eyes, he was, on the other hand, glad that his partner didn’t have to go through all the mourning alone. If anyone, these two (along with all their other friends) could provide the support Peter needed back then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time October 23rd rolled around, Neal was utterly and thoroughly confused by Peter’s behavior. Not only was Peter in constant very good, almost giddy mood (though Neal would be the first to proudly take responsibility for that), the older man also put some manners on display you usually don’t see in relationships anymore these days. Like holding open every single door they were about to pass and letting Neal go ahead of him, or pulling the chair to let him sit down first, no matter where they were. Sure, Neal himself did the same things almost every time he met with June or Elizabeth, but that was more out of respect for these two formidable women (and because Ellen raised him that way). So what was Peter’s motive? And more interesting: why did Neal find it all so lovely and utterly sweet?
Work certainly didn’t give him much time to mull about it. He not only did a full security consulting with Manhattan Mutual, Sterling Bosch also was high in demand of his expertise and knowledge in the art world for two parallel ongoing trials. By the time he finally came home on Saturday afternoon, Neal was so ready to dive face first into their bed and sleep for the next 72 hours or so. Unfortunately for him, some 24 hours later, their double date demanded his physical presence as well, and so he put on another fine suit, selecting one of Byron’s Devore ones with a wonderful blue shirt.
At this moment, Peter was nowhere to be seen at their home, stating to Neal in an earlier phone call that one of his bosses wanted to go over something about a recently closed case and that Neal should meet up with Phil and Clint, he would join them later. Neal wasn’t exactly happy about it, but he had been working with for FBI himself long enough to know a thing or two about the inner works of the agency. Time was, in most cases, of the essence.
Around 7, Clint was the one to pick him up, and while they talked about almost everything during the ride, the archer perfectly evaded each of Neal’s attempts to get some more information about their destination.
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As they pulled into the parking garage of Stark Tower, Neal assumed that they were picking up Phil from work. But instead, Clint indicated that he should follow him into the building. Once again, Clint kept quiet about anything else, but now, Neal decided to go with the flow, so to speak, and accept whatever was happening in the next few minutes. An elevator ride later, they exited the car on the “party level” of Stark Tower (as Tony called it) - and Neal was stunned and shocked to the core.
Not only he saw Tony and Bruce, Steve and Bucky, Natasha, Maria, Pepper, all the other Avengers and some of Phil’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team scattered around the spacious room, but June, Diana, Clinton, Elizabeth and, to his surprise, Sara as well. But what finally caught his eyes was the small round table in the middle of the main floor, all decked out in white. Or more exactly, the man who was seated there - Peter.
As if on autopilot, Neal moved towards his lover, ignoring everyone else, his eyes locked with the rich brown ones of Peter.
“Hey, gorgeous!” was all Peter could say as a greeting before Neal pulled him up to his feet and down for a kiss, not caring at all that they weren’t alone.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Neal finally gave back before plopping down in the chair on his side of the table. For the first time since arriving here, he gave the whole room a once-over, noticing all the little trinkets that marked their relationship so far - a map of all the (alleged) places Neal went as a con man, a picture of the legendary green sucker he gave to Peter in their first meeting, the anklet, his Socrates bust, and a whole slew of other things Neal couldn’t even place on the timeline at the moment.
Suddenly, Peter got up again (when had he sat down?), and before Neal could even think about it, dropped down on one knee, which caused the whole room to go silent (F.R.I.D.A.Y. even stopped the music) and all their eyes on them.
“You know as well as I that I’m not good at words, especially when it comes to express my emotions. I’m always afraid that whatever will come out of my mouth will be misinterpreted as either too emotional or too detached, too coldhearted.” He saw Neal shaking his head slightly, telling him that at least the last part of the sentence wasn’t true at all. “But right now, I don’t care of any label anyone might put on me, right now, I’m letting my heart lead my tongue, and my heart only wants to tell you one thing: I love you, Neal, more than you probably will ever know, and more than I ever can show you every day. So, instead I’m kneeling here in front of you and request only one answer from you. Will you do me the honor and marry me?”
At some point during his speech, Peter had pulled out a small box from any of his suit’s pockets, and presented Neal now with a stunning yet simple Claddagh ring, adorned with deep blue heart.
“Yes, Peter, I will marry you!” Neal managed to say through the sudden frog in his throat before pulling Peter up on his feet (again) and kiss him with all his might. From a distance, he heard the others in the room cheering them on, but right here and now, the most important human was in his arms, and he was going to walk down the aisle with him. For the first time in long time, life really felt perfect for Neal Caffrey.
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The End
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HAPPY CAFFREY-BURKE DAY EVERYONE!!!