White Collar Fic - Privilege - Part V

[elrhiarhodan]

Title: Privilege
Author: elrhiarhodan
Rating: R (for language and OT3 sex, not graphic but descriptive)
Fandom: White Collar
Spoilers: 101, 113, 114
Summary: Fifteen Seconds Really Shouldn’t Make That Much Difference
Warnings/Triggers: Some legal stuff (and what else is new?)
Word Count: ~8000 (Sum of all parts)
Disclaimer: Nope, own nothing - but if I did, there would be a continuing storyline requiring either Peter or Neal (or both of them) to wear jackboots. The kind that the Queen’s Horse Guard wear.

A/N: I really wanted to find a reason why Peter Burke, so obviously brilliant – would occasionally be such a dork or so unsure of himself, particularly when it comes to interpersonal things. I thought, maybe – something from childhood, but I didn’t want to go down paths already trodden. I wanted to stay with something I know all about – sibling rivalry. I flashed on Allison Janney as Peter’s twin sister. IRL she’s a few years older than Tim DeKay, but the coloring and bone structure sort of match, and the roles she’s played are consistent with the personality of the character I’m trying to create.

This is set in the same universe as Minutes and Hours, Neal Caffrey, (Wage) Slave, and probably How Long Did You Did You Think You Could Keep This Up (Before I Found Out).   It's also the second entry on my "Five Things About Peter Burke" post.

The story takes place a year and some months after the Season 1 Finale.

Many, many thanks to the excellent beta work by the incomparable gyzym. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

------------------------------------


Peter pulled out of the garage, and instead of heading cross town to the Brooklyn Bridge, he turned towards the West Side Highway and Neal’s apartment. At Neal’s questioning look, Peter said, “El’s got a thing – a wedding in Greenwich tonight, she’ll be home in the morning. I though we’d spend the night at your place. Unless you’d rather not?” Despite everything, including the small comment Neal slipped in the conversation this afternoon, Peter was sometimes uncomfortable about presuming anything with Neal.

“No, my apartment is fine.”

Stopped at a light, Peter looked over at Neal and wondered why this man – his friend, his lover – no longer seemed to chafe at restrictions that he had placed on him. Oh, the essential Neal hadn’t changed – he still took amazing risks when they did field work, and he constantly pushed at Bureau rules and regulations. But Neal seemed oddly content to let Peter have his way after hours. Well, perhaps that wasn’t the best way to put it, since Neal was far from a passive or submissive partner. Peter actually felt himself blushing at the memory of a recent evening when Neal took charge.

“Long day,” Neal commented idly.

“Yeah. Good one, though. Been a while.”

“Looks like we’re going to have a nice spring.”

“What’s with the small talk, Neal?”

“Nothing, just – well – just trying to …” Neal stopped, uncharacteristically at a loss of words.

“Spill it, Caffrey. What are you trying not to tell me?”

Neal chuckled, a brief huff of air. “Your sister’s a real piece of work.”

“I though we already established that.” This wasn’t a conversation Peter really wanted to have again.

“She slipped something into my pocket.” Neal reached in and pulled out a memory card, the kind used in digital cameras. “Photos? She’s really doing an end-run around that whole privilege thing, isn’t she?”

“Damn it. That’s Isabelle. She thinks she’s smarter than everyone else. She couldn’t trust me to figure this out. Just has to drop breadcrumbs along the way.” Peter pounded his fist on the steering wheel in aggravation. “I don’t want to see what’s on that card. Look at it, don’t look at it – but don’t tell me.”

“You know Peter, I could ask Mozzie to wreck her credit rating. Or something. As a prank.”

“He can do that? Wait, no. Don’t you know how many Federal laws you’d break?” Peter felt the start of a massive headache.

“Hmmm, yeah, that’s probably not a good idea. Pity she doesn’t live in New York City, we could report her for ferret keeping. Just a nuisance claim. ”

Peter said nothing for a moment. There were so many things wrong with what Neal was suggesting, but he was tempted…a little payback, brother to sister. He shook his head, No. No. Well, maybe…

“When we were six, our parents took us to a petting zoo. A goat started to eat Isabelle’s clothes. She’s been deathly afraid of them ever since.” Peter paused and looked at Neal, who was looking anywhere but at Peter. “She lives in Half Moon Bay. And that’s all I’m saying on the subject.”

The rest of the ride was completed in silence, only broken when Neal called June’s to let the staff know when they’d be arriving.

It was nearly eleven when Peter followed Neal into his apartment, dropped his briefcase and jacket on the couch and walked out onto the terrace. Peter just stood there, gazing at the city skyline, listening to the traffic and his own thoughts. Neal got a beer for Peter and a glass of wine for himself, and stood next to him.

“Neal, you said something this afternoon.”

“I said a lot of things, Peter.”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“Look Peter, are you going to make me say it?”

Peter sighed. “I want to hear it. I need to hear it.” He turned to look at Neal, whose face was gilded by the full moon and the fairy lights draped around the terrace. He knew he could let it drop, and still be secure in his own feelings, but at this moment, he was selfish enough to want it all. So he waited, holding his breath.

“I don’t know what this is so difficult…” Neal laughed, self-deprecatingly.

“Maybe because we’re men. We don’t talk about our feelings,” Peter replied with a smile. He guessed that he’d just have to wait. He watched as Neal turned back to face the city.

“Yes, Peter. I love you.”

Peter said nothing; he just smiled, savoring the moment of perfect happiness.

Go to Epilogue

Comments

[ebeneezerdark.livejournal.com]

“Yes, Peter. I love you.”

SQUEEEEEEE!!!