[ficlet] Keeping You Close to My Heart
Title: Keeping You Close to My Heart
Author: Aragarna
Genre, rating: Gen, fluff, friendship, g.
Characters: Neal, Peter.
word count: ~ 600
Spoilers/warnings: none.
Summary: Set post-anklet. Neal comes back from travel and as he catches-up with Peter, he makes an unexpected discovery.
Author's Note: Just a little fluffly belated birthday gift for elrhiarhodan. It's not "years down the line" but I hope you like it anyway. Happy Birthday! :-)
Keeping You Close to My Heart
The door of the café opened, letting in the unmistakable figure of one Neal Caffrey. He took off his hat and a bright smile lightened his face when he spotted Peter waving at him from a table near the window. Neal waved back and went to the counter to order a coffee.
“So, how was London?” Peter asked cheerfully as Neal sat down at the table in front of him.
Neal looked up at Peter, surprised. “How do you…” Then he chuckled. “You’re still checking on me? You know, I’m a free citizen now.”
Peter simply shrugged. “I know but some habits are just hard to shake off. I like to know where you are. And it’s so easy now that you travel under your real name.”
Neal smiled. “In case I fall back in the life.”
Peter grinned. “In case you get into trouble and I have to save your butt. But don’t think I didn’t notice you’re deflecting…”
“London was good,” Neal said with a smile. “Really good. They have some great museums. And all for free. But they could definitely invest in a security upgrade. Even you could break in.”
Peter rolled his eyes.
“So how is the office?” Neal asked.
“Office is good. We missed you a little at first, but we have another CI now.”
Neal sobered a little. “Really?”
Peter laughed lightly. “I’m kidding. You’re irreplaceable, Neal.”
“I hope your closure rate doesn’t suffer too much from my departure.”
“Irreplaceable but not indispensable,” Peter smirked, but then he added, with an earnest smile: “You know you’re always welcome at the FBI.”
Neal laughed. “Yeah, that sounds a little weird. Though I do start missing solving crimes,” he admitted.
Peter’s phone rang, making him winced. “The office,” he said as he checked the alert. “I gotta go. Dinner tonight?”
Neal smiled. “Sure.”
Peter took his wallet out and put some cash on the table. “My treat,” he said.
As he let him pass through the door, Neal slid his hand into Peter’s jacket pocket, lifting the wallet. He was about to make a winner smile when he felt Peter’s hand catching his. A card fell off the wallet as the surprised made Neal almost lose grip of it.
“You’re losing your touch, Neal,” Peter said with a grin.
“You caught me,” Neal admitted good sport as he bent over to pick up the fallen card.
“I always do.”
Neal’s retort was lost when he identified the card he was holding. It was Peter’s baseball rookie card.
“You keep it in your wallet?”
Peter sent Neal an awkward look as he took his card back and slid it carefully in his wallet before putting it back in his jacket.
“I didn’t know you were such a sentimental, Peter,” he teased. “It reminds you of your baseball glory?”
Peter shook his head. “Oh no, it’s all about the person who gave it to me.”
Neal stopped in the middle of the street, making Peter turn around. Neal felt inexplicably moved by the revelation. He stared at Peter, speechless. Of course, he knew Peter considered him a friend and the agent had tried many times to convince him to stay with the FBI after his sentence was over. But for having lifted Peter’s wallet a dozen times, Neal knew very well that Peter didn’t keep anything personal in it. Not even a picture of Elizabeth.
“You - You keep me in your wallet?”
“God no, you’d steal everything,” Peter winked. “ Come on, I have a meeting in five.”
Neal fell into Peter’s steps as they walked back to the office. “So, what’s the case?”
The End.
Author: Aragarna
Genre, rating: Gen, fluff, friendship, g.
Characters: Neal, Peter.
word count: ~ 600
Spoilers/warnings: none.
Summary: Set post-anklet. Neal comes back from travel and as he catches-up with Peter, he makes an unexpected discovery.
Author's Note: Just a little fluffly belated birthday gift for elrhiarhodan. It's not "years down the line" but I hope you like it anyway. Happy Birthday! :-)
Keeping You Close to My Heart
The door of the café opened, letting in the unmistakable figure of one Neal Caffrey. He took off his hat and a bright smile lightened his face when he spotted Peter waving at him from a table near the window. Neal waved back and went to the counter to order a coffee.
“So, how was London?” Peter asked cheerfully as Neal sat down at the table in front of him.
Neal looked up at Peter, surprised. “How do you…” Then he chuckled. “You’re still checking on me? You know, I’m a free citizen now.”
Peter simply shrugged. “I know but some habits are just hard to shake off. I like to know where you are. And it’s so easy now that you travel under your real name.”
Neal smiled. “In case I fall back in the life.”
Peter grinned. “In case you get into trouble and I have to save your butt. But don’t think I didn’t notice you’re deflecting…”
“London was good,” Neal said with a smile. “Really good. They have some great museums. And all for free. But they could definitely invest in a security upgrade. Even you could break in.”
Peter rolled his eyes.
“So how is the office?” Neal asked.
“Office is good. We missed you a little at first, but we have another CI now.”
Neal sobered a little. “Really?”
Peter laughed lightly. “I’m kidding. You’re irreplaceable, Neal.”
“I hope your closure rate doesn’t suffer too much from my departure.”
“Irreplaceable but not indispensable,” Peter smirked, but then he added, with an earnest smile: “You know you’re always welcome at the FBI.”
Neal laughed. “Yeah, that sounds a little weird. Though I do start missing solving crimes,” he admitted.
Peter’s phone rang, making him winced. “The office,” he said as he checked the alert. “I gotta go. Dinner tonight?”
Neal smiled. “Sure.”
Peter took his wallet out and put some cash on the table. “My treat,” he said.
As he let him pass through the door, Neal slid his hand into Peter’s jacket pocket, lifting the wallet. He was about to make a winner smile when he felt Peter’s hand catching his. A card fell off the wallet as the surprised made Neal almost lose grip of it.
“You’re losing your touch, Neal,” Peter said with a grin.
“You caught me,” Neal admitted good sport as he bent over to pick up the fallen card.
“I always do.”
Neal’s retort was lost when he identified the card he was holding. It was Peter’s baseball rookie card.
“You keep it in your wallet?”
Peter sent Neal an awkward look as he took his card back and slid it carefully in his wallet before putting it back in his jacket.
“I didn’t know you were such a sentimental, Peter,” he teased. “It reminds you of your baseball glory?”
Peter shook his head. “Oh no, it’s all about the person who gave it to me.”
Neal stopped in the middle of the street, making Peter turn around. Neal felt inexplicably moved by the revelation. He stared at Peter, speechless. Of course, he knew Peter considered him a friend and the agent had tried many times to convince him to stay with the FBI after his sentence was over. But for having lifted Peter’s wallet a dozen times, Neal knew very well that Peter didn’t keep anything personal in it. Not even a picture of Elizabeth.
“You - You keep me in your wallet?”
“God no, you’d steal everything,” Peter winked. “ Come on, I have a meeting in five.”
Neal fell into Peter’s steps as they walked back to the office. “So, what’s the case?”
The End.