Fic (White Collar): Stealing Warmth
Title: Stealing Warmth
Author: cookielaura
Characters/Pairings: Neal, Peter, El, Satchmo, Neal/Peter/El
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1324
Spoilers & Warnings: None
Summary: After following Satchmo on a rabbit-related adventure, Neal needs all the cuddles
Notes: Inspired by the beautiful "Warmth" picture that kanarek13 made me for fandom stocking, and which you can see here! This belatedly fills the "huddle for warmth" square of my trope-bingo card.
Happy birthday kanarek13! Hope this day is just as lovely as you :D And that the year ahead brings you happiness, peace and lots of Matt and Tim! *sends hugs and cake*
Neal tried to resist waking up. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but his mind was weary and his body felt stiff - no doubt from the long drive up to the cabin yesterday, and the extended session of testing out their holiday bed that he, Peter and El had indulged in throughout the first part of the night. He felt like it had been only minutes since he had closed his eyes, and he did his best to stay pleasantly enveloped in the tangle of limbs and sheets and warmth, but something was dragging him out of sleep. It took him a while to figure out what it was: a hot, rough, wet tongue licking at his hand.
Neal stifled a yawn and forced his eyes open, finding himself face to face with Satchmo in the blue gloom of winter dawn.
“Hey boy,” he murmured quietly, trying not to wake Peter, who was sprawled out next to him, or Elizabeth, whose head lay on Peter’s chest. Satchmo, sat on his haunches next to the bed, moved his licking from Neal’s hand to his face in greeting.
Neal swallowed down a tired laugh and pushed Satch’s head gently away. The dog must want to go out, and though Neal had been hoping for a lie in, he couldn’t ignore Satch. He comforted himself with the thought that once Satchmo had been taken care of, Neal could return to bed and maybe catch another hour of sleep.
Neal moved his leg out from under Peter’s, being careful not to disrupt his or Elizabeth’s sleep, then rolled himself out of the bed. The wooden floorboards were cold to the touch and he glanced around for his slippers, but he couldn’t remember unpacking them yet. They had all had other things on their minds than unpacking last night.
He settled for pulling his robe around him and shoving his feet into his sneakers, then headed quietly from the room, Satchmo trotting happily alongside him. The cabin was small: only a bedroom, a bathroom and a living are with a kitchenette, so the front door was just a few steps away. Neal opened it for Satchmo and leaned against the doorframe, letting himself take in the beauty of their surroundings. The cabin was in the middle of nowhere - chosen partly because of Elizabeth’s desire for some peace and quiet, and partly because none of them wanted neighbors’ prying eyes or whispers about why three adults were renting a one-bedroom holiday let. All Neal could see in front of him was a stretch of frost-tipped grass and then the edge of a forest, the trees shadowy and soft in the dawn light. His hand itched to paint it, to put the calmness of the scene down in pale blues and violets on canvas.
A rush of cold wind blew into the cabin past Neal and he shivered. Silk pajama bottoms and a robe was not an ideal outfit for standing in the January cold. Just as he was casting a glance down at Satch to see if he was done, he heard the dog bark excitedly. The Labrador stood to attention for a second, trembling with anticipation, and Neal scanned the landscape for some sign of what had startled the dog. Neal had just seen the rabbit, a few feet out from the border of the forest, when Satch took off, bounding across the grass and chasing the rabbit into the trees.
“Satch!” Neal called, stepping out onto the grass. “Satchmo!” He squinted into the tree line, but he couldn’t see any sign of the dog. “Satch!” he tried again. “Here, boy!” But there was no response.
Neal didn’t wait any longer. Satchmo was a big dog and he could look after himself, but Neal still didn’t like the thought of him being in the woods by himself. He set off across the grass at a run, his sneakers crunching on the frosted ground. He reached the edge of the trees in just a minute, and stepped into the thickly wooded area, calling Satchmo’s name as he turned on the spot, scanning the ground for paw-prints. Not being able to tell which way the dog had headed, Neal was about to pick a direction at random and blunder forward when he heard another bark, followed by the thudding steps of a heavy dog through undergrowth.
He called Satch again and seconds later, the dog was at his side, jumping up excitedly, obviously energized by his chase. Neal bent down to pet him, relieved that he hadn’t ventured too far into the woods, and found himself getting his face licked for the second time that morning.
“Hey, boy, nice to see you too,” Neal murmured, realizing as he did so that his teeth were chattering and his skin was icy cold. “Let’s get you back inside, huh?” he said, turning back toward the cabin. As soon as he started back across the grass, he saw Elizabeth in the open doorway, wearing Peter’s robe and looking a little bemused.
“Fancied a morning run in your pajamas?” she asked as Neal approached the door.
“There was a rabbit incident,” Neal said, nodding down at Satch and trying not to shiver too hard.
Elizabeth pulled him inside and shut the door behind them, then reached for his hands. “You’re freezing,” she said, her amused puzzlement turning to concern. She rubbed his hands between hers. “Get back into bed, and I’ll make you some coffee,” she said. Neal nodded gratefully, kicking off his shoes and padding back into the bedroom where Peter was sitting up in bed. The thick quilts and Peter’s bare chest looked so inviting that Neal didn’t even bother to shed his robe or to explain where he’d been; he simply fell into the bed and pressed himself as close to Peter as he could get.
“Hey you,” Peter said, wrapping his arm around Neal and then frowning down at him as he felt Neal’s skin. “What happened to you?” he asked as he pulled the quilt up over Neal and tugged him closer.
“Went out with Satch,” Neal said, yawning and pushing his face into Peter’s shoulder, loving the sensation of Peter’s warm skin against his cold cheek. “Ended up in the forest. Cold.” He nestled close to Peter’s chest and did his best to soak up all the warmth that he could.
Peter kissed the top of Neal’s head and slid his hand under the sleeve of Neal’s robe, rubbing over the cold skin on his arm. “Thought you’d just gone for a shower,” he murmured into Neal’s hair. “No early morning forest walks without me, okay?”
“It wasn’t planned,” Neal protested mildly, pressing his chilly nose into the dip where Peter’s neck met his collarbone, and laughing slightly as Peter hissed at the cold intrusion. “Sorry,” he said, knowing he didn’t sound sorry at all.
The door to the bedroom swung open and Elizabeth came in, her hands full with a tray holding three mugs of steaming coffee. She was accompanied by Satchmo, who leapt up onto the bed and curled up next to Peter.
“Warmed up, sweetie?” Elizabeth asked Neal as she set the tray down on the nightstand.
“He’s stealing all of my heat,” Peter told her.
“You can’t arrest me for that,” Neal muttered into Peter’s collarbone, and heard Elizabeth laugh.
“You want to steal some of mine too?” she asked, getting into bed on the other side of Neal and curling up close to him.
“Mmm,” Neal agreed, shifting to let her wrap her arms around him too. “Perfect,” he said as he felt the heat from both the Burkes encompass him.
“Maybe we can go for a proper walk later,” Elizabeth said. “While wearing actual clothes.”
“Sounds nice,” Neal said, tiredly. “But I’m good here for a while.” And he closed his eyes, and let himself fall asleep in his cocoon of warmth.
Author: cookielaura
Characters/Pairings: Neal, Peter, El, Satchmo, Neal/Peter/El
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1324
Spoilers & Warnings: None
Summary: After following Satchmo on a rabbit-related adventure, Neal needs all the cuddles
Notes: Inspired by the beautiful "Warmth" picture that kanarek13 made me for fandom stocking, and which you can see here! This belatedly fills the "huddle for warmth" square of my trope-bingo card.
Happy birthday kanarek13! Hope this day is just as lovely as you :D And that the year ahead brings you happiness, peace and lots of Matt and Tim! *sends hugs and cake*
Neal tried to resist waking up. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but his mind was weary and his body felt stiff - no doubt from the long drive up to the cabin yesterday, and the extended session of testing out their holiday bed that he, Peter and El had indulged in throughout the first part of the night. He felt like it had been only minutes since he had closed his eyes, and he did his best to stay pleasantly enveloped in the tangle of limbs and sheets and warmth, but something was dragging him out of sleep. It took him a while to figure out what it was: a hot, rough, wet tongue licking at his hand.
Neal stifled a yawn and forced his eyes open, finding himself face to face with Satchmo in the blue gloom of winter dawn.
“Hey boy,” he murmured quietly, trying not to wake Peter, who was sprawled out next to him, or Elizabeth, whose head lay on Peter’s chest. Satchmo, sat on his haunches next to the bed, moved his licking from Neal’s hand to his face in greeting.
Neal swallowed down a tired laugh and pushed Satch’s head gently away. The dog must want to go out, and though Neal had been hoping for a lie in, he couldn’t ignore Satch. He comforted himself with the thought that once Satchmo had been taken care of, Neal could return to bed and maybe catch another hour of sleep.
Neal moved his leg out from under Peter’s, being careful not to disrupt his or Elizabeth’s sleep, then rolled himself out of the bed. The wooden floorboards were cold to the touch and he glanced around for his slippers, but he couldn’t remember unpacking them yet. They had all had other things on their minds than unpacking last night.
He settled for pulling his robe around him and shoving his feet into his sneakers, then headed quietly from the room, Satchmo trotting happily alongside him. The cabin was small: only a bedroom, a bathroom and a living are with a kitchenette, so the front door was just a few steps away. Neal opened it for Satchmo and leaned against the doorframe, letting himself take in the beauty of their surroundings. The cabin was in the middle of nowhere - chosen partly because of Elizabeth’s desire for some peace and quiet, and partly because none of them wanted neighbors’ prying eyes or whispers about why three adults were renting a one-bedroom holiday let. All Neal could see in front of him was a stretch of frost-tipped grass and then the edge of a forest, the trees shadowy and soft in the dawn light. His hand itched to paint it, to put the calmness of the scene down in pale blues and violets on canvas.
A rush of cold wind blew into the cabin past Neal and he shivered. Silk pajama bottoms and a robe was not an ideal outfit for standing in the January cold. Just as he was casting a glance down at Satch to see if he was done, he heard the dog bark excitedly. The Labrador stood to attention for a second, trembling with anticipation, and Neal scanned the landscape for some sign of what had startled the dog. Neal had just seen the rabbit, a few feet out from the border of the forest, when Satch took off, bounding across the grass and chasing the rabbit into the trees.
“Satch!” Neal called, stepping out onto the grass. “Satchmo!” He squinted into the tree line, but he couldn’t see any sign of the dog. “Satch!” he tried again. “Here, boy!” But there was no response.
Neal didn’t wait any longer. Satchmo was a big dog and he could look after himself, but Neal still didn’t like the thought of him being in the woods by himself. He set off across the grass at a run, his sneakers crunching on the frosted ground. He reached the edge of the trees in just a minute, and stepped into the thickly wooded area, calling Satchmo’s name as he turned on the spot, scanning the ground for paw-prints. Not being able to tell which way the dog had headed, Neal was about to pick a direction at random and blunder forward when he heard another bark, followed by the thudding steps of a heavy dog through undergrowth.
He called Satch again and seconds later, the dog was at his side, jumping up excitedly, obviously energized by his chase. Neal bent down to pet him, relieved that he hadn’t ventured too far into the woods, and found himself getting his face licked for the second time that morning.
“Hey, boy, nice to see you too,” Neal murmured, realizing as he did so that his teeth were chattering and his skin was icy cold. “Let’s get you back inside, huh?” he said, turning back toward the cabin. As soon as he started back across the grass, he saw Elizabeth in the open doorway, wearing Peter’s robe and looking a little bemused.
“Fancied a morning run in your pajamas?” she asked as Neal approached the door.
“There was a rabbit incident,” Neal said, nodding down at Satch and trying not to shiver too hard.
Elizabeth pulled him inside and shut the door behind them, then reached for his hands. “You’re freezing,” she said, her amused puzzlement turning to concern. She rubbed his hands between hers. “Get back into bed, and I’ll make you some coffee,” she said. Neal nodded gratefully, kicking off his shoes and padding back into the bedroom where Peter was sitting up in bed. The thick quilts and Peter’s bare chest looked so inviting that Neal didn’t even bother to shed his robe or to explain where he’d been; he simply fell into the bed and pressed himself as close to Peter as he could get.
“Hey you,” Peter said, wrapping his arm around Neal and then frowning down at him as he felt Neal’s skin. “What happened to you?” he asked as he pulled the quilt up over Neal and tugged him closer.
“Went out with Satch,” Neal said, yawning and pushing his face into Peter’s shoulder, loving the sensation of Peter’s warm skin against his cold cheek. “Ended up in the forest. Cold.” He nestled close to Peter’s chest and did his best to soak up all the warmth that he could.
Peter kissed the top of Neal’s head and slid his hand under the sleeve of Neal’s robe, rubbing over the cold skin on his arm. “Thought you’d just gone for a shower,” he murmured into Neal’s hair. “No early morning forest walks without me, okay?”
“It wasn’t planned,” Neal protested mildly, pressing his chilly nose into the dip where Peter’s neck met his collarbone, and laughing slightly as Peter hissed at the cold intrusion. “Sorry,” he said, knowing he didn’t sound sorry at all.
The door to the bedroom swung open and Elizabeth came in, her hands full with a tray holding three mugs of steaming coffee. She was accompanied by Satchmo, who leapt up onto the bed and curled up next to Peter.
“Warmed up, sweetie?” Elizabeth asked Neal as she set the tray down on the nightstand.
“He’s stealing all of my heat,” Peter told her.
“You can’t arrest me for that,” Neal muttered into Peter’s collarbone, and heard Elizabeth laugh.
“You want to steal some of mine too?” she asked, getting into bed on the other side of Neal and curling up close to him.
“Mmm,” Neal agreed, shifting to let her wrap her arms around him too. “Perfect,” he said as he felt the heat from both the Burkes encompass him.
“Maybe we can go for a proper walk later,” Elizabeth said. “While wearing actual clothes.”
“Sounds nice,” Neal said, tiredly. “But I’m good here for a while.” And he closed his eyes, and let himself fall asleep in his cocoon of warmth.