Fic: Midnight Brewings
Title: Midnight Brewings
Author: wraithkeeper
Rating: PG
Pairing: Peter/Elizabeth/Neal
Spoilers: none
Word Count: 300 exactly
Disclaimer: White Collar and its characters don't belong to me.
Notes: Written for whitecollar100 prompt #35 - Tea
Peter wakes up to El’s warmth on one side and a cold bed on the other. He sits up slowly, careful not to wake El, and makes his way downstairs. Neal, predictably, is sitting at the kitchen table with the lights dimmed so they barely illuminate the room. Peter figures that’s for their benefit, so that he and El aren’t woken by the light.
“Hey,” Peter says quietly, sitting across from Neal.
Neal looks up, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Also for Peter’s benefit, he knows.
“You okay?”
“Just making some tea.”
It’s not the answer to Peter’s question, but it never is.
“Mind if I join you?”
“You don’t have to stay up for me, Peter.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Peter answers.
They both know it’s a lie. Neither one says anything.
They sit in silence until Neal gets up to check the tea. Peter vaguely remembers that the teapot used to whistle when the tea was ready, but he hasn’t heard that in a while. Neal probably disabled the whistle so he wouldn’t bother them during the night. Peter wishes Neal would see it wasn’t a bother. Or that Neal could sleep through the night.
Neal returns to the table with two cups of tea, giving one to Peter before retaking his seat. Peter doesn’t ask what the nightmare was this time, or if Neal wants to talk about it. They simply sit in silence, sipping their tea until the last drop is gone and Neal allows himself to be guided back to bed.
Peter tucks Neal in between El and himself, watching until he falls asleep. Peter makes a mental note that they’re almost out of tea. He’ll need to buy more for tomorrow night, when he knows they’ll do the same thing over again.