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s2309Title: The Border Lines I Drew Between Us
Characters (Pairings): Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke (OT3)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 870
Disclaimer: White Collar is Jeff Eastin’s brainchild. Not mine.
Summary: Neal tries not to let the Burkes notice his horrible habit of leaving things behind at their house
Author’s Note: Set in the early days of OT3. Post-anklet, I suppose.
For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kanarek13's Get Well Fest over at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
whitecollarhc. Also for the prompt "Caught in a Robbery" on my hc_bingo card.
Title is a slightly altered lyric from Vienna Teng's 'Antebellum'.
Neal steps out of the shower and smiles at the toothbrush El left for him. Every time Peter pulls him close while watching a ball game or El calls him into the kitchen to help or just talk to her as she's cooking, it hits him that the Burkes don't just want him in bed, they want him, and he's never felt anything better.
He brushes his teeth, wraps a towel around his waist and walks out of the bathroom.
Peter's there, rifling through his wardrobe for a pair of pajamas.
"I left some hot water for you."
"Thanks." Peter smiles and slips into the bathroom, leaving the wardrobe door slightly ajar.
Neal reaches for his boxers and vest - he usually sleeps in those when he stays over at the Burkes' - and catches a glimpse of blue among Peter's suits. A bright blue, not the kind Peter would wear. He cracks the door a little more, out of curiosity, and comes face to face with one of his own suits. The one he must have left behind after the one time he actually remembered to bring a nightsuit and clothes for the next day.
He returns the wardrobe door to its original position and tries not to slam his head against something. As if a toothbrush in the stand and a towel with his name on it weren't enough, he's gotten into the horrible habit of leaving things behind at their house.
Sometimes it's just a pair of cufflinks, easily palmed without anyone noticing. Usually it's a pair of boxers or a vest that somehow ends up in Peter's wardrobe, but they can still be returned to his studio covertly, despite the lack of subtlety of a bulging pocket.
But this time it's a suit. A suit, a blue pinstriped suit, complete with matching shoes and a waistcoat and a tie bar and cufflinks (the tie bar and cufflinks can be pocketed easily enough, but still).
Short of breaking in while they're gone, he can't think of a covert way to get the suit out of the house without one or both of the Burkes noticing.
The next evening, after he's let himself into their house, he notices a bagful of clothes just outside the kitchen.
"What's that?" he asks, walking into the kitchen and seating himself on a counter.
"Clothes, that need to be taken to the laundry. I'm almost positive Peter will forget tomorrow morning, and I'd remind him, but the last time he forgot laundry..."
"I'll take it." Neal hops off the counter and hefts the bag onto a shoulder. The bag's big, and there's some extra room... "I'll drop it off now. Just need to use the washroom before I go."
"You know where it is."
Neal returns her smile and heads upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, slipping into the Burke's bedroom and easing the bag onto the floor as soon as he's there. He's on a clock, but he has enough time.
He opens the door of Peter's wardrobe. The traitorous suit is there, tucked in between Peter's off the rack suits, and Neal doesn't know how Peter didn't notice (or maybe he did).
He takes the hanger off the rod and is about to take the suit off the hanger when a voice calls from the door, "Hey, Neal."
Neal freezes. Peter. Of course Peter would catch him. He always does.
Peter walks in slowly, as if he's trying not to get into Neal's space, which doesn't make sense, because this is his space, not Neal's. "El already had that dry cleaned last week. You don't need to take it to the laundry."
He puts on a smile, straightens up, and is about to start spinning a story when Peter starts talking again.
"You could put the suit in the guest room closet if you like, you'll probably have more space there for any clothes you want to bring over, but you can use my wardrobe space."
"Wardrobe...space?" Neal says the words like they're alien.
"Yep. I don't know why, but I like your suit being there. You can leave a few spillovers in El's if you need to."
"I can have wardrobe space?" Neal still looks confused.
Peter nods sincerely. "And kitchen space for your preferred breakfast foods, and medicine cabinet space if and when you need it."
"I can have wardrobe space," Neal says, nailing it down.
"Yes."
And you won't mind?"
"Not at all."
Peter's trying hard not to show how much it hurts that he has to explain this to Neal, because El told him to stay calm when this happened (she predicted it, she did), and maybe he's not successful enough because Neal wistfully traces light fingers over his face before kissing him slowly, the suit in Neal's right hand, getting creased between his hand and Peter's back, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Despite the sharp, orange-like sweetness of the kiss, Peter likes the long, soothing hug that follows it even better.
The next morning, the blue pinstriped suit is still in Peter's cupboard, a six pack of yoghurt has found its way into the fridge and there's a box of muesli next to Peter's Sugar O's.
Characters (Pairings): Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke (OT3)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 870
Disclaimer: White Collar is Jeff Eastin’s brainchild. Not mine.
Summary: Neal tries not to let the Burkes notice his horrible habit of leaving things behind at their house
Author’s Note: Set in the early days of OT3. Post-anklet, I suppose.
For
kanarek13's Get Well Fest over at whitecollarhc. Also for the prompt "Caught in a Robbery" on my hc_bingo card.Title is a slightly altered lyric from Vienna Teng's 'Antebellum'.
Neal steps out of the shower and smiles at the toothbrush El left for him. Every time Peter pulls him close while watching a ball game or El calls him into the kitchen to help or just talk to her as she's cooking, it hits him that the Burkes don't just want him in bed, they want him, and he's never felt anything better.
He brushes his teeth, wraps a towel around his waist and walks out of the bathroom.
Peter's there, rifling through his wardrobe for a pair of pajamas.
"I left some hot water for you."
"Thanks." Peter smiles and slips into the bathroom, leaving the wardrobe door slightly ajar.
Neal reaches for his boxers and vest - he usually sleeps in those when he stays over at the Burkes' - and catches a glimpse of blue among Peter's suits. A bright blue, not the kind Peter would wear. He cracks the door a little more, out of curiosity, and comes face to face with one of his own suits. The one he must have left behind after the one time he actually remembered to bring a nightsuit and clothes for the next day.
He returns the wardrobe door to its original position and tries not to slam his head against something. As if a toothbrush in the stand and a towel with his name on it weren't enough, he's gotten into the horrible habit of leaving things behind at their house.
Sometimes it's just a pair of cufflinks, easily palmed without anyone noticing. Usually it's a pair of boxers or a vest that somehow ends up in Peter's wardrobe, but they can still be returned to his studio covertly, despite the lack of subtlety of a bulging pocket.
But this time it's a suit. A suit, a blue pinstriped suit, complete with matching shoes and a waistcoat and a tie bar and cufflinks (the tie bar and cufflinks can be pocketed easily enough, but still).
Short of breaking in while they're gone, he can't think of a covert way to get the suit out of the house without one or both of the Burkes noticing.
-:-
The next evening, after he's let himself into their house, he notices a bagful of clothes just outside the kitchen.
"What's that?" he asks, walking into the kitchen and seating himself on a counter.
"Clothes, that need to be taken to the laundry. I'm almost positive Peter will forget tomorrow morning, and I'd remind him, but the last time he forgot laundry..."
"I'll take it." Neal hops off the counter and hefts the bag onto a shoulder. The bag's big, and there's some extra room... "I'll drop it off now. Just need to use the washroom before I go."
"You know where it is."
Neal returns her smile and heads upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, slipping into the Burke's bedroom and easing the bag onto the floor as soon as he's there. He's on a clock, but he has enough time.
He opens the door of Peter's wardrobe. The traitorous suit is there, tucked in between Peter's off the rack suits, and Neal doesn't know how Peter didn't notice (or maybe he did).
He takes the hanger off the rod and is about to take the suit off the hanger when a voice calls from the door, "Hey, Neal."
Neal freezes. Peter. Of course Peter would catch him. He always does.
Peter walks in slowly, as if he's trying not to get into Neal's space, which doesn't make sense, because this is his space, not Neal's. "El already had that dry cleaned last week. You don't need to take it to the laundry."
He puts on a smile, straightens up, and is about to start spinning a story when Peter starts talking again.
"You could put the suit in the guest room closet if you like, you'll probably have more space there for any clothes you want to bring over, but you can use my wardrobe space."
"Wardrobe...space?" Neal says the words like they're alien.
"Yep. I don't know why, but I like your suit being there. You can leave a few spillovers in El's if you need to."
"I can have wardrobe space?" Neal still looks confused.
Peter nods sincerely. "And kitchen space for your preferred breakfast foods, and medicine cabinet space if and when you need it."
"I can have wardrobe space," Neal says, nailing it down.
"Yes."
And you won't mind?"
"Not at all."
Peter's trying hard not to show how much it hurts that he has to explain this to Neal, because El told him to stay calm when this happened (she predicted it, she did), and maybe he's not successful enough because Neal wistfully traces light fingers over his face before kissing him slowly, the suit in Neal's right hand, getting creased between his hand and Peter's back, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Despite the sharp, orange-like sweetness of the kiss, Peter likes the long, soothing hug that follows it even better.
-:-
The next morning, the blue pinstriped suit is still in Peter's cupboard, a six pack of yoghurt has found its way into the fridge and there's a box of muesli next to Peter's Sugar O's.
