commentary for maldeluxx: Inception/WC
Title: Summer sun was on their wings, winter in their cry
Fandom: White Collar/Inception
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Rachel Field
Warnings: AU for both fandoms; dark; mentions of child abuse and non-con
Pairings: Arthur/Eames
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 560
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar, Neal, they really shouldn't underestimate him
[So, I saw the prompt. First thing that popped into my mind: Neal Caffrey works for the mob. Second thing that popped into my mind: Arthur is the only person in the world Neal obeys. Third thing: they’re twins.]
[Also, recently (for a given value of recently) I’ve been in the mood for non-chronological storytelling. It’s a great deal of fun.]
Neal Caffrey is a pretty-boy. Neal Caffrey is a thief who wouldn't know what to do with a gun if his life depended on it. Neal Caffrey is the FBI’s bitch, and tricked his way out of prison on his knees. [C’mon. Think about it. What can anyone in canon think about Neal before they meet him, and, most of the time, after?
Neal Caffrey is a gorgeous mask, and the pay-off will be glorious.
.
"How much longer? You know the Boss hates waitin'."
Neal smiles at his contact, holding out the tiniest of disk drives. "Your Boss'll wait for me, Porter."
Porter glares and his fingers close into a fist, but he takes the drive.
Neal's off limits to everyone.
[You would not believe how much I argued with myself about whether Boss should be capitalized or not.]
.
Mozzie asks him, "What's the angle here?"
Elizabeth invites him to dinner.
Peter trusts him with confidential information, his house, his dog, his wife, and his life. [Mozzie does not know who Neal truly is. But he knows that Neal is so much more than a mere forger/con-artist. He has no idea that he should be afraid, or that Neal will do his best to keep him safe, but if he has to choose - Moz or Peter&El - Neal will not choose Moz.]
.
"If I granted you one request," the Boss muses, watching Neal strip and clean their favorite gun, "you'd ask for the Burkes to be left alive."
"And unhurt," Neal clarifies. "June too, if I could get that." [Originally, I just had Neal answer with an affirmative, and then clarify he wanted June, too. Then I realized that being alive didn’t siginify being healthy or happy, so. And it’s not mentioned in the story anywhere, but Neal&Arthur are both a bit possessive, and willing to do a great deal to keep each other happy. They clarify things to make sure neither crosses the line.]
The Boss nods. "Granted." [Of course Arthur agrees. His brother’s coming home.]
.
Neal Caffrey dies in a shootout, shielding one of his team members. He gets a hero's funeral.
Peter and Elizabeth Burke cry in each other's arms for days. [He wouldn’t hurt them by letting them thing they weren’t enough for them to stay. And if he dies, no one will be looking for him.]
.
"You ready?" the Boss asks. "You've been out of the game for awhile."
"C'mon, Arthur," one of the best undercover men in the world says. "You need better people at your side."
"Hey, now," the Boss's lover and right-hand exclaims. "I'll have you know, I take wonderful care of 'im."
"Eames," the Boss says.
He subsides, glaring, and the Boss asks, "What name would you like now?"
Smirking at Eames, he says, "Nathaniel, I think."
The Boss nods. [Names mean nothing to them; they’ve had too many, over the course of the years. However, their names always begin with an N or an A, as a nod to the little boys they used to be, all those lifetimes ago.]
.
Nathaniel Calton is one of the greatest assassins in the world. It doesn't matter what the job calls for; he excels. The Boss trusts him, and everyone is too afraid to ask why. [Arthur established his criminal empire by working his way through all of the prior ones and executing the leaders. He is… not the nicest man in the world.]
.
"What should we be when we grow up?" Noah asks Aidan, as they're curled up together beneath the covers, all of seven and shivering. Daddy is still throwing things downstairs. Mama's gone again.
"I'm gonna rule the world and make sure no one hurts us ever again," Aidan says, listening to his brother breathe. "And you're gonna be my secret weapon."
"That sounds nice," Noah whispers, hissing in pain when Aidan accidentally shifts his arm.
“It’ll happen,” Aidan promises. “I swear.”
His twin nods. “It will.” [They were neglected far more often than they were physically abused. And when they were hurt, Noah often tried to draw the attention, so then Aidan would do something decisive to protect him. That stayed the same as they grew.]
.
The Boss says, “Well done, lil’brother.”
He nods, grins, and offers the Boss his knife, so the Boss can take out his own pound of flesh.
Eames mutters, “Darling, this should not be as hot as it is,” and he gets identical, blood-soaked smiles in response.
The traitor screams louder and louder, until the Boss finally shuts him up with a cleverly-turned slice. [The twins are more like one soul in two bodies, and while Eames does prefer Arthur, doesn’t everyone have a little fantasy?]
.
No one knows where the Boss came from. His lover, a forger and con-man called Eames, was small-time until the Boss took a liking to him. (He’s actually ex-military, and just as dangerous as the Boss, but only a handful of people in the world know that, so keep it to yourself.) [Eames is ex-SAS and had been a juvenile delinquent before that. Arthur recruited him, and kept him. He’s loyal only to Arthur (and Arthur’s brother.)] And the Boss’s favorite assassin, well.
A few of the more trusted lieutenants notice that the Boss and his pet killer have the same grace, the same turn of phrase, the same grin when they kill. But they never mention it, so the Boss and Nathaniel let them live. [No one but Eames knows that Arthur has a twin. They went their separate ways after high-school, for awhile, until Arthur got into a spot of trouble and his brother bailed him out. Neal Caffrey’s entire existence was a job for Arthur. Peter&El weren’t supposed to happen.]
(For now.) [Arthur is a very good boss, unless you cross him. He provides for those who are loyal, and destroys those who aren’t.]
[So, yeah. I don’t think I’m the first to decide Neal and Arthur must be twins. I have no idea who was. But I really REALLY like it, so. I’ve written a bit of it. And, well, I like dark boys. *shrugs*]
Fandom: White Collar/Inception
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Rachel Field
Warnings: AU for both fandoms; dark; mentions of child abuse and non-con
Pairings: Arthur/Eames
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 560
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar, Neal, they really shouldn't underestimate him
[So, I saw the prompt. First thing that popped into my mind: Neal Caffrey works for the mob. Second thing that popped into my mind: Arthur is the only person in the world Neal obeys. Third thing: they’re twins.]
[Also, recently (for a given value of recently) I’ve been in the mood for non-chronological storytelling. It’s a great deal of fun.]
Neal Caffrey is a pretty-boy. Neal Caffrey is a thief who wouldn't know what to do with a gun if his life depended on it. Neal Caffrey is the FBI’s bitch, and tricked his way out of prison on his knees. [C’mon. Think about it. What can anyone in canon think about Neal before they meet him, and, most of the time, after?
Neal Caffrey is a gorgeous mask, and the pay-off will be glorious.
.
"How much longer? You know the Boss hates waitin'."
Neal smiles at his contact, holding out the tiniest of disk drives. "Your Boss'll wait for me, Porter."
Porter glares and his fingers close into a fist, but he takes the drive.
Neal's off limits to everyone.
[You would not believe how much I argued with myself about whether Boss should be capitalized or not.]
.
Mozzie asks him, "What's the angle here?"
Elizabeth invites him to dinner.
Peter trusts him with confidential information, his house, his dog, his wife, and his life. [Mozzie does not know who Neal truly is. But he knows that Neal is so much more than a mere forger/con-artist. He has no idea that he should be afraid, or that Neal will do his best to keep him safe, but if he has to choose - Moz or Peter&El - Neal will not choose Moz.]
.
"If I granted you one request," the Boss muses, watching Neal strip and clean their favorite gun, "you'd ask for the Burkes to be left alive."
"And unhurt," Neal clarifies. "June too, if I could get that." [Originally, I just had Neal answer with an affirmative, and then clarify he wanted June, too. Then I realized that being alive didn’t siginify being healthy or happy, so. And it’s not mentioned in the story anywhere, but Neal&Arthur are both a bit possessive, and willing to do a great deal to keep each other happy. They clarify things to make sure neither crosses the line.]
The Boss nods. "Granted." [Of course Arthur agrees. His brother’s coming home.]
.
Neal Caffrey dies in a shootout, shielding one of his team members. He gets a hero's funeral.
Peter and Elizabeth Burke cry in each other's arms for days. [He wouldn’t hurt them by letting them thing they weren’t enough for them to stay. And if he dies, no one will be looking for him.]
.
"You ready?" the Boss asks. "You've been out of the game for awhile."
"C'mon, Arthur," one of the best undercover men in the world says. "You need better people at your side."
"Hey, now," the Boss's lover and right-hand exclaims. "I'll have you know, I take wonderful care of 'im."
"Eames," the Boss says.
He subsides, glaring, and the Boss asks, "What name would you like now?"
Smirking at Eames, he says, "Nathaniel, I think."
The Boss nods. [Names mean nothing to them; they’ve had too many, over the course of the years. However, their names always begin with an N or an A, as a nod to the little boys they used to be, all those lifetimes ago.]
.
Nathaniel Calton is one of the greatest assassins in the world. It doesn't matter what the job calls for; he excels. The Boss trusts him, and everyone is too afraid to ask why. [Arthur established his criminal empire by working his way through all of the prior ones and executing the leaders. He is… not the nicest man in the world.]
.
"What should we be when we grow up?" Noah asks Aidan, as they're curled up together beneath the covers, all of seven and shivering. Daddy is still throwing things downstairs. Mama's gone again.
"I'm gonna rule the world and make sure no one hurts us ever again," Aidan says, listening to his brother breathe. "And you're gonna be my secret weapon."
"That sounds nice," Noah whispers, hissing in pain when Aidan accidentally shifts his arm.
“It’ll happen,” Aidan promises. “I swear.”
His twin nods. “It will.” [They were neglected far more often than they were physically abused. And when they were hurt, Noah often tried to draw the attention, so then Aidan would do something decisive to protect him. That stayed the same as they grew.]
.
The Boss says, “Well done, lil’brother.”
He nods, grins, and offers the Boss his knife, so the Boss can take out his own pound of flesh.
Eames mutters, “Darling, this should not be as hot as it is,” and he gets identical, blood-soaked smiles in response.
The traitor screams louder and louder, until the Boss finally shuts him up with a cleverly-turned slice. [The twins are more like one soul in two bodies, and while Eames does prefer Arthur, doesn’t everyone have a little fantasy?]
.
No one knows where the Boss came from. His lover, a forger and con-man called Eames, was small-time until the Boss took a liking to him. (He’s actually ex-military, and just as dangerous as the Boss, but only a handful of people in the world know that, so keep it to yourself.) [Eames is ex-SAS and had been a juvenile delinquent before that. Arthur recruited him, and kept him. He’s loyal only to Arthur (and Arthur’s brother.)] And the Boss’s favorite assassin, well.
A few of the more trusted lieutenants notice that the Boss and his pet killer have the same grace, the same turn of phrase, the same grin when they kill. But they never mention it, so the Boss and Nathaniel let them live. [No one but Eames knows that Arthur has a twin. They went their separate ways after high-school, for awhile, until Arthur got into a spot of trouble and his brother bailed him out. Neal Caffrey’s entire existence was a job for Arthur. Peter&El weren’t supposed to happen.]
(For now.) [Arthur is a very good boss, unless you cross him. He provides for those who are loyal, and destroys those who aren’t.]
[So, yeah. I don’t think I’m the first to decide Neal and Arthur must be twins. I have no idea who was. But I really REALLY like it, so. I’ve written a bit of it. And, well, I like dark boys. *shrugs*]