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elrhiarhodanTitle: Underneath the Words
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Yvonne; Peter/Neal
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~1200
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Set in the Dragon'verse A/U, a direct sequel to The Binding, Neal and Peter have to prepare for the Council meeting, but Neal's more interested in asserting his claim. Until he learns to hear what's underneath the words.
A/N: An extra fill for my 2015 Fic-Can-Ukah meme, for for the prompt "Beyond the confines of ordinarily language", selected byjoy2190.
__________________
Elizabeth's farmhouse was a familiar sight now, although Neal still thought it was a slightly incongruous architectural style for a Dracon. No turrets, no moat, no castle wall.
Although, today, there was something new – a flagpole in front of the house was sporting a long pennant-shaped flag. As it snapped in the early summer breeze, Neal could just about make out the design. A green dragon on a field of blue, quartered with gold.
"Clan colors." Peter murmured as he steered Neal towards the door. "We only fly them when something important is happening.
"Such as a Council meeting?"
"Exactly."
Elizabeth was waiting in the front room, worry and annoyance had put lines of stress on her beautiful face. Neal couldn't help but feel responsible. But she walked past him and got up close to Peter. Too close for his comfort.
"Do you know what you've done?" She shook her finger at Peter.
The first time he'd met Elizabeth, he was afraid of her. He was afraid she'd eat him. Now, there was no fear, only anger at her interference and an intense possessiveness. He took a step forward, but Peter shook his head – a tiny signal to stop.
Neal took a deep breath and won the fight for control.
Peter moved over to a rather formidable looking chair and sat down. He crossed his legs in studied elegance and Neal felt a surge of lust. When Peter smiled, Neal wanted to sit at his feet.
Peter asked, "Who's coming?"
Elizabeth looked from Peter to him and back to Peter again. She let out an aggravated sigh and sat down across from Peter. Neal decided to enforce his own position and moved to the right of Peter's chair, as if he was standing guard.
No, not "as if" - he was standing guard. Against Elizabeth and her all-too possessive gaze, against those who were coming. Those who might take Peter from him. Might hurt Peter.
"Arash k'vark!" Two voices uttered that Drathic command. One - Elizabeth's - he could easily ignore, but not Peter's.
Neal took a deep breath a tried to let the anger go.
"You're going to pay for the replacement windows - that is double-laminated glass and it's not cheap." Elizabeth tilted her head at the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over a rose garden. The glass was crazed - thousands of tiny cracks were running through it now.
"I did that?" Neal was amazed, and almost a little pleased with himself.
Peter sighed. "Yes, Neal, you did." There was also a touch of pride in those words, and something else. Neal would listen for that tone again, to see if he could quantify it.
"You need to exert better control. You don't have the anklet on, remember?"
Neal nodded. But he wasn't completely certain that the anklet could have stopped his feelings - muted their effects, maybe. Peter was his.
More glass cracked.
"Neal!"
"Sorry." No, not really. Neal couldn't keep a smile off his face.
Elizabeth shook her head in bemused frustration. "You're both way too smug."
Peter laughed. "Okay, yeah. Now, down to business. Who's coming?"
"Adler, Kramer, Parker, Pratt, Gless, Bancroft, Bruce, Woods and Walker." Elizabeth rattled off the names and he could feel Peter's reaction to each. Of the nine, Peter loathed Adler, Woods and Walker. He had a mild affection for Kramer, was disturbed by Pratt, considered Bancroft and Bruce to be friends, and was worried about …
"Parker is coming? She hasn't left her territory in a century." Peter seemed concerned,
"Where's her territory?" Neal was curious.
"St. Louis through the Ozarks. She's an old-fashioned Dracon, and you'd appreciate her. She keeps her hoard in the vast caverns there."
"I grew up in St. Louis. My mom and I moved there after my dad died."
Peter twisted around and looked at him. "Really. Didn't know that about you."
Neal shrugged. "It was only for a few years. We moved again when I was twelve, to Buffalo. When I was seventeen, I hit the road and wound up in New York - the center of the universe."
"And became a master criminal."
Neal smiled and shrugged. "Met Mozzie first – but that's pretty much it."
Peter continued to pepper Elizabeth with questions about the council members, and while Neal tried to focus on the information about each Dracon, he found himself focusing on Peter's tone, the timbre of his voice, the undercurrents and subvocalizations. It was surprising to hear them, even though Peter wasn't speaking Drathic.
The more they talked, the more Neal absorbed Peter's feelings about the councilors. It more than loathing he felt for Adler – he despised the Dracon with such intensity that it made Neal ill. Peter's feelings for Woods and Walker were more contemptuous – the former had used Dracon resources to promote human addiction and the latter was a game-player who enjoyed pitting his wits against the Dracons who worked in the FBI.
The Dracon, Kramer, seemed to be something of a mentor to Peter – there was certainly affection there, but it was undercut with a dose of wariness. He was almost afraid of seeing the Dracon again, concerned about his reaction to the k'charirhim.
"Neal?" Elizabeth's sharp tone cut into his thoughts.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"I wanted to have Yvonne show you where we'll be gathering – the am'halir."
Am'halir - the word was unfamiliar, but Neal suddenly understood what it was – a large amphitheater-like place where the Council would be gathering. It was a distance from the house. "You want to talk to Peter in private?"
Elizabeth glared at him. "Yes – you're distracting him and he needs to focus. What will happen later today is going to impact the entire Clan. You – you're a wildcard. You have no status and no hoard to speak of. Peter has rank, status, he's got more authority that almost anyone in the whole Clan. You could ruin that for him. If the Council wants to impose a punishment for this – this bonding –" Elizabeth spat out the word with some disgust, "it could leave a power vacuum that can damage us for a generation.
"So, please – go with Yvonne, listen to her, pay attention to the am'halir and don't break anything."
Neal didn't feel cowed or inclined to obedience – Peter was the only one who could make him feel that way, but he did understand. "Okay." He tipped an imaginary hat to Elizabeth and went to join Yvonne, who was waiting in the doorway.
But before he left, he turned back and said, "Remember, Peter is mine – you do anything to harm him, I'll make you wish you'd never been hatched. 'Ter k'charih'lir ihm Ne'. "
The whole room shook from the intensity of his words.
Elizabeth didn't get angry. She just nodded, accepting his claim and its consequences.
FIN
Author:
elrhiarhodanFandom: White Collar
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Yvonne; Peter/Neal
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~1200
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Set in the Dragon'verse A/U, a direct sequel to The Binding, Neal and Peter have to prepare for the Council meeting, but Neal's more interested in asserting his claim. Until he learns to hear what's underneath the words.
A/N: An extra fill for my 2015 Fic-Can-Ukah meme, for for the prompt "Beyond the confines of ordinarily language", selected by
joy2190.Elizabeth's farmhouse was a familiar sight now, although Neal still thought it was a slightly incongruous architectural style for a Dracon. No turrets, no moat, no castle wall.
Although, today, there was something new – a flagpole in front of the house was sporting a long pennant-shaped flag. As it snapped in the early summer breeze, Neal could just about make out the design. A green dragon on a field of blue, quartered with gold.
"Clan colors." Peter murmured as he steered Neal towards the door. "We only fly them when something important is happening.
"Such as a Council meeting?"
"Exactly."
Elizabeth was waiting in the front room, worry and annoyance had put lines of stress on her beautiful face. Neal couldn't help but feel responsible. But she walked past him and got up close to Peter. Too close for his comfort.
"Do you know what you've done?" She shook her finger at Peter.
The first time he'd met Elizabeth, he was afraid of her. He was afraid she'd eat him. Now, there was no fear, only anger at her interference and an intense possessiveness. He took a step forward, but Peter shook his head – a tiny signal to stop.
Neal took a deep breath and won the fight for control.
Peter moved over to a rather formidable looking chair and sat down. He crossed his legs in studied elegance and Neal felt a surge of lust. When Peter smiled, Neal wanted to sit at his feet.
Peter asked, "Who's coming?"
Elizabeth looked from Peter to him and back to Peter again. She let out an aggravated sigh and sat down across from Peter. Neal decided to enforce his own position and moved to the right of Peter's chair, as if he was standing guard.
No, not "as if" - he was standing guard. Against Elizabeth and her all-too possessive gaze, against those who were coming. Those who might take Peter from him. Might hurt Peter.
"Arash k'vark!" Two voices uttered that Drathic command. One - Elizabeth's - he could easily ignore, but not Peter's.
Neal took a deep breath a tried to let the anger go.
"You're going to pay for the replacement windows - that is double-laminated glass and it's not cheap." Elizabeth tilted her head at the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over a rose garden. The glass was crazed - thousands of tiny cracks were running through it now.
"I did that?" Neal was amazed, and almost a little pleased with himself.
Peter sighed. "Yes, Neal, you did." There was also a touch of pride in those words, and something else. Neal would listen for that tone again, to see if he could quantify it.
"You need to exert better control. You don't have the anklet on, remember?"
Neal nodded. But he wasn't completely certain that the anklet could have stopped his feelings - muted their effects, maybe. Peter was his.
More glass cracked.
"Neal!"
"Sorry." No, not really. Neal couldn't keep a smile off his face.
Elizabeth shook her head in bemused frustration. "You're both way too smug."
Peter laughed. "Okay, yeah. Now, down to business. Who's coming?"
"Adler, Kramer, Parker, Pratt, Gless, Bancroft, Bruce, Woods and Walker." Elizabeth rattled off the names and he could feel Peter's reaction to each. Of the nine, Peter loathed Adler, Woods and Walker. He had a mild affection for Kramer, was disturbed by Pratt, considered Bancroft and Bruce to be friends, and was worried about …
"Parker is coming? She hasn't left her territory in a century." Peter seemed concerned,
"Where's her territory?" Neal was curious.
"St. Louis through the Ozarks. She's an old-fashioned Dracon, and you'd appreciate her. She keeps her hoard in the vast caverns there."
"I grew up in St. Louis. My mom and I moved there after my dad died."
Peter twisted around and looked at him. "Really. Didn't know that about you."
Neal shrugged. "It was only for a few years. We moved again when I was twelve, to Buffalo. When I was seventeen, I hit the road and wound up in New York - the center of the universe."
"And became a master criminal."
Neal smiled and shrugged. "Met Mozzie first – but that's pretty much it."
Peter continued to pepper Elizabeth with questions about the council members, and while Neal tried to focus on the information about each Dracon, he found himself focusing on Peter's tone, the timbre of his voice, the undercurrents and subvocalizations. It was surprising to hear them, even though Peter wasn't speaking Drathic.
The more they talked, the more Neal absorbed Peter's feelings about the councilors. It more than loathing he felt for Adler – he despised the Dracon with such intensity that it made Neal ill. Peter's feelings for Woods and Walker were more contemptuous – the former had used Dracon resources to promote human addiction and the latter was a game-player who enjoyed pitting his wits against the Dracons who worked in the FBI.
The Dracon, Kramer, seemed to be something of a mentor to Peter – there was certainly affection there, but it was undercut with a dose of wariness. He was almost afraid of seeing the Dracon again, concerned about his reaction to the k'charirhim.
"Neal?" Elizabeth's sharp tone cut into his thoughts.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"I wanted to have Yvonne show you where we'll be gathering – the am'halir."
Am'halir - the word was unfamiliar, but Neal suddenly understood what it was – a large amphitheater-like place where the Council would be gathering. It was a distance from the house. "You want to talk to Peter in private?"
Elizabeth glared at him. "Yes – you're distracting him and he needs to focus. What will happen later today is going to impact the entire Clan. You – you're a wildcard. You have no status and no hoard to speak of. Peter has rank, status, he's got more authority that almost anyone in the whole Clan. You could ruin that for him. If the Council wants to impose a punishment for this – this bonding –" Elizabeth spat out the word with some disgust, "it could leave a power vacuum that can damage us for a generation.
"So, please – go with Yvonne, listen to her, pay attention to the am'halir and don't break anything."
Neal didn't feel cowed or inclined to obedience – Peter was the only one who could make him feel that way, but he did understand. "Okay." He tipped an imaginary hat to Elizabeth and went to join Yvonne, who was waiting in the doorway.
But before he left, he turned back and said, "Remember, Peter is mine – you do anything to harm him, I'll make you wish you'd never been hatched. 'Ter k'charih'lir ihm Ne'. "
The whole room shook from the intensity of his words.
Elizabeth didn't get angry. She just nodded, accepting his claim and its consequences.
