comment_fic 781-785: WC/Chuck, Glee, Glee/WC/RED/Inception
Title: the calm warning of the evening star left to him
Fandom: White Collar/Chuck
Disclaimer: not my characters; one line paraphrased from Skyfall; title from Sean O'Casey
Warnings: AUish, mentions of violence, identity issues
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 445
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar / Chuck, Neal as Bryce, looking in the mirror, wondering what's his name today
Five days ago, his name was Chris.
Six days before that, he was Tommy.
Seven days before that, he was Elton.
Three months ago, he was Bryce Larkin.
.
Bryce Larkin was not a traitor. Bryce Larkin was a fool.
.
Today, he's Neal. A year ago, he was Neal. Two, three, four years ago - still Neal.
Neal's his favorite. Neal's suave and debonair, so gorgeous and slick. Neal's a charmer, that's for sure. Even the people who hate Neal just can't help but love him.
Look at Peter if you don't believe it.
.
Chris Watson is a sociology student.
Tommy Douglass is an art appraiser.
Elton Smythe is the only son of an oil tycoon.
Bryce Larkin was a government agent in love with computer geek.
And Neal… Neal's no more real than them. Neal's a ghost. A figment. A dream.
Neal isn't chained by anything but loyalty, and loyalty…
Well. Loyalty can be very fleeting.
.
Neal looks into the mirror. Chris and Tommy and Elton and Bryce all look back. Ghosts. Figments. Dreams.
He blinks and he's Neal.
Bryce Larkin has resurrected once before. He might again. Loyalty is his greatest weakness, after all.
Bryce Larkin wasn't his first life, but until Neal it was the longest.
Loyalty is a weakness.
He turns away from the mirror and grabs his hat on the way out the door.
.
Justin Contel is a gun-runner for the mafia trying to work his way up. He's stupid and reckless. Impressive, though, those moves he can pull out of a car. He's flashy and charming. So charming.
The sting goes south and there's no way Neal Caffrey could get out alive. It steals Peter's breath, heart in his throat, the thought that Neal would die inside while Peter's own team holds him back, shouting orders nobody listens to.
But staring into the barrel of a gun, Neal blinks and changes skins.
Neal Caffrey couldn't get out alive. Neither could Justin Contel.
But Bryce Larkin… his greatest weakness might be loyalty, but his greatest skill is resurrection.
.
The mafioso turned on his men, that's what Neal's report says.
No one sees Bryce Larkin, every few blinks, and no one questions his story. They're just too happy he survived.
.
Neal Caffrey is a ghost. A figment. A dream.
And like Bryce Larkin before him, one day he'll vanish like smoke in the night, gone as if it'd never been.
He looks into the mirror, blinking through all the names he's worn, and it gets harder to choose because it's time to move on.
… not quite yet.
Neal Caffrey flips on his hat, grins at the mirror, and saunters out.
Title: escapism
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: AU; mentions of canon bullying/violence
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 100
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, badboy!Blaine/cheerio!Kurt, force
Kurt's uniform works the same way Blaine's fists and leather jacket do. Coach Sylvester is Kurt's protection; Blaine's dark looks and attitude are his.
When they walk down the hall together, crowds part.
This isn't what Kurt imagined, back on the first day of high-school, and it's never where Blaine thought he'd be, back when he wore bowties and just wanted to be liked.
Those little boys died in a dumpster and parking lot, and the men rising from their ashes are getting the fuck out of Ohio.
"See you at lunch, sweetie," Kurt murmurs, and Blaine smiles, "Later, babe."
Title: The day was ended that will never come again
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Sara Teasdale
Warnings: grief; spoilers for season 4
Pairings: Burt/Carole, past Burt/Mama Hummel
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 210
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, Burt Hummel, He visits her grave and tells her about taking Kurt to the airport.
"Hey, Katie," he murmurs, setting a bouquet of daffodils on the dirt. "Our kid - he got so big, baby. He's a man now. I don't know how that happened... I just looked away for a second." He wipes at his eyes, staring out over the cemetery.
He can almost hear Katie's laughter on the air and he can't help smiling.
"Kurt's stepping out into the big bad world," Burt says. "He's gonna take it by storm. Those yahoos in New York won't know what hit 'em when our kid gets there, Katie." His smile turns sad. "He got that from you, babe. And your stubbornness."
He wipes his eyes again. "I just looked away for a second," he repeats. "Then I looked back and he was as tall as me. When did that happen? He's so big and goin' to New York."
He reaches over to pat the stone. "I miss you every day, Kat," he whispers. "I love Carole, god knows I do - she's a good woman. You'd really like her." He pats the stone one more time, traces her name, and turns.
Carole's waiting at home and they're going out somewhere fancy, and they're not going to talk about empty nests or being so proud it burns.
Title: faith
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: fluff; mentions of break-ups
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 99
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, Burt + Blaine, why he wants this kid to be his son-in-law one day
There's this way Blaine used to look at Kurt, when Kurt was around. Kurt was sunlight, and Blaine the flowers that turned toward the warmth. Blaine didn't look at Kurt like he was perfect - but like he was vital, necessary… sunlight and air at the same time.
Burt's been worried about Kurt for a long time. The world isn't a kind place, and Lima's nowhere near kind, either. And Blaine's really bad at first impressions - drunken sleepovers, giving parenting advice… well.
But Blaine loves Kurt with everything in him. And he's made a mistake.
Kurt looked at him, too. Would, again.
Title: families of choice
Fandom: Glee/RED/White Collar/Inception
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: mentions of bullying; AU
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, implied unrequited Neal/Peter, Frank/Sarah, Burt/Carole, Victoria/Ivan
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 198
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee/R.E.D./White Collar/Inception, Burt and son(s) + Frank and sons (Neal and Arthur), They were "co-workers" when they were young, now they're neighbors; no one understands their style of parenting better than each other.
"Pour the tea," Kurt orders imperiously. Neal hides his grin and does. Arthur doesn't scowl, though Neal can tell he wants to.
The kid is just too cute, though.
.
Arthur wants to kick the asses of everyone at McKinley during Kurt's freshman year, and Neal wants to frame them for various horrific crimes, and Uncle Burt and Dad have both have to control each other so that McKinley doesn't catch fire and explode.
.
Neal and Arthur are both gone (to New York and the army) when things get really bad. Arthur's about to vanish into black ops and Neal's on the verge of something big, and Kurt doesn't call anyone for help, not his dad or Uncle Frank or Neal&Arthur.
He calls Blaine.
.
"That kid'a yours," Frank says at Thanksgiving, "he's a handful, Burt."
Burt snorts. "And those boys'a yours, Frank?" he chuckles.
Marvin, Victoria, and Joe laugh. Carole and Ivan are discussing music while Kurt (with Blaine beside him) lectures Sarah on the proper colors for her skintone. Arthur's impressing Finn and Sam with some of his training and Neal's subtly checking his phone to see if Moz is keeping eyes on Peter as promised.
Life's good.
Fandom: White Collar/Chuck
Disclaimer: not my characters; one line paraphrased from Skyfall; title from Sean O'Casey
Warnings: AUish, mentions of violence, identity issues
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 445
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar / Chuck, Neal as Bryce, looking in the mirror, wondering what's his name today
Five days ago, his name was Chris.
Six days before that, he was Tommy.
Seven days before that, he was Elton.
Three months ago, he was Bryce Larkin.
.
Bryce Larkin was not a traitor. Bryce Larkin was a fool.
.
Today, he's Neal. A year ago, he was Neal. Two, three, four years ago - still Neal.
Neal's his favorite. Neal's suave and debonair, so gorgeous and slick. Neal's a charmer, that's for sure. Even the people who hate Neal just can't help but love him.
Look at Peter if you don't believe it.
.
Chris Watson is a sociology student.
Tommy Douglass is an art appraiser.
Elton Smythe is the only son of an oil tycoon.
Bryce Larkin was a government agent in love with computer geek.
And Neal… Neal's no more real than them. Neal's a ghost. A figment. A dream.
Neal isn't chained by anything but loyalty, and loyalty…
Well. Loyalty can be very fleeting.
.
Neal looks into the mirror. Chris and Tommy and Elton and Bryce all look back. Ghosts. Figments. Dreams.
He blinks and he's Neal.
Bryce Larkin has resurrected once before. He might again. Loyalty is his greatest weakness, after all.
Bryce Larkin wasn't his first life, but until Neal it was the longest.
Loyalty is a weakness.
He turns away from the mirror and grabs his hat on the way out the door.
.
Justin Contel is a gun-runner for the mafia trying to work his way up. He's stupid and reckless. Impressive, though, those moves he can pull out of a car. He's flashy and charming. So charming.
The sting goes south and there's no way Neal Caffrey could get out alive. It steals Peter's breath, heart in his throat, the thought that Neal would die inside while Peter's own team holds him back, shouting orders nobody listens to.
But staring into the barrel of a gun, Neal blinks and changes skins.
Neal Caffrey couldn't get out alive. Neither could Justin Contel.
But Bryce Larkin… his greatest weakness might be loyalty, but his greatest skill is resurrection.
.
The mafioso turned on his men, that's what Neal's report says.
No one sees Bryce Larkin, every few blinks, and no one questions his story. They're just too happy he survived.
.
Neal Caffrey is a ghost. A figment. A dream.
And like Bryce Larkin before him, one day he'll vanish like smoke in the night, gone as if it'd never been.
He looks into the mirror, blinking through all the names he's worn, and it gets harder to choose because it's time to move on.
… not quite yet.
Neal Caffrey flips on his hat, grins at the mirror, and saunters out.
Title: escapism
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: AU; mentions of canon bullying/violence
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 100
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, badboy!Blaine/cheerio!Kurt, force
Kurt's uniform works the same way Blaine's fists and leather jacket do. Coach Sylvester is Kurt's protection; Blaine's dark looks and attitude are his.
When they walk down the hall together, crowds part.
This isn't what Kurt imagined, back on the first day of high-school, and it's never where Blaine thought he'd be, back when he wore bowties and just wanted to be liked.
Those little boys died in a dumpster and parking lot, and the men rising from their ashes are getting the fuck out of Ohio.
"See you at lunch, sweetie," Kurt murmurs, and Blaine smiles, "Later, babe."
Title: The day was ended that will never come again
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Sara Teasdale
Warnings: grief; spoilers for season 4
Pairings: Burt/Carole, past Burt/Mama Hummel
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 210
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, Burt Hummel, He visits her grave and tells her about taking Kurt to the airport.
"Hey, Katie," he murmurs, setting a bouquet of daffodils on the dirt. "Our kid - he got so big, baby. He's a man now. I don't know how that happened... I just looked away for a second." He wipes at his eyes, staring out over the cemetery.
He can almost hear Katie's laughter on the air and he can't help smiling.
"Kurt's stepping out into the big bad world," Burt says. "He's gonna take it by storm. Those yahoos in New York won't know what hit 'em when our kid gets there, Katie." His smile turns sad. "He got that from you, babe. And your stubbornness."
He wipes his eyes again. "I just looked away for a second," he repeats. "Then I looked back and he was as tall as me. When did that happen? He's so big and goin' to New York."
He reaches over to pat the stone. "I miss you every day, Kat," he whispers. "I love Carole, god knows I do - she's a good woman. You'd really like her." He pats the stone one more time, traces her name, and turns.
Carole's waiting at home and they're going out somewhere fancy, and they're not going to talk about empty nests or being so proud it burns.
Title: faith
Fandom: Glee
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: fluff; mentions of break-ups
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 99
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee, Burt + Blaine, why he wants this kid to be his son-in-law one day
There's this way Blaine used to look at Kurt, when Kurt was around. Kurt was sunlight, and Blaine the flowers that turned toward the warmth. Blaine didn't look at Kurt like he was perfect - but like he was vital, necessary… sunlight and air at the same time.
Burt's been worried about Kurt for a long time. The world isn't a kind place, and Lima's nowhere near kind, either. And Blaine's really bad at first impressions - drunken sleepovers, giving parenting advice… well.
But Blaine loves Kurt with everything in him. And he's made a mistake.
Kurt looked at him, too. Would, again.
Title: families of choice
Fandom: Glee/RED/White Collar/Inception
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: mentions of bullying; AU
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, implied unrequited Neal/Peter, Frank/Sarah, Burt/Carole, Victoria/Ivan
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 198
Point of view: third
Prompt: Glee/R.E.D./White Collar/Inception, Burt and son(s) + Frank and sons (Neal and Arthur), They were "co-workers" when they were young, now they're neighbors; no one understands their style of parenting better than each other.
"Pour the tea," Kurt orders imperiously. Neal hides his grin and does. Arthur doesn't scowl, though Neal can tell he wants to.
The kid is just too cute, though.
.
Arthur wants to kick the asses of everyone at McKinley during Kurt's freshman year, and Neal wants to frame them for various horrific crimes, and Uncle Burt and Dad have both have to control each other so that McKinley doesn't catch fire and explode.
.
Neal and Arthur are both gone (to New York and the army) when things get really bad. Arthur's about to vanish into black ops and Neal's on the verge of something big, and Kurt doesn't call anyone for help, not his dad or Uncle Frank or Neal&Arthur.
He calls Blaine.
.
"That kid'a yours," Frank says at Thanksgiving, "he's a handful, Burt."
Burt snorts. "And those boys'a yours, Frank?" he chuckles.
Marvin, Victoria, and Joe laugh. Carole and Ivan are discussing music while Kurt (with Blaine beside him) lectures Sarah on the proper colors for her skintone. Arthur's impressing Finn and Sam with some of his training and Neal's subtly checking his phone to see if Moz is keeping eyes on Peter as promised.
Life's good.