White Collar Ficlet - The Quiet Expression of Hurt Feelings

[elrhiarhodan]

Title: The Quiet Expression of Hurt Feelings
Author: elrhiarhodan
Rating: R
Fandom: White Collar
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~150
Summary: A fill from the prompt “Hurt Feelings” provided by Surreal_44.

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Peter knows (or thinks he knows) all of Neal's smiles.

There's the I'm a Sexy Man smile - the one that gets all the ladies wet and the men hard. It's also so fake that Peter can spot it across a football field.

Then you’ve got the Trust Me smile - also fake, but a bit more difficult to spot. Peter knows that smile because he knows Neal.

Peter’s learned to be cautious around the I'm an Innocent Man grin, which Neal uses when he's anything but.

Peter actually treasures the Look What I Did smirks, because Neal usually reserves them just for him. 

He doesn't mind any of these smiles - Peter knows what they are and what they're disguising.

The smile he hates though, is that tight one - the one that never reaches his eyes, the one that reminds Peter of a dog that's been beaten once too often but still wants a place by the fire.

Peter would give anything never to see that smile on Neal's face again.