cookiegirl: (Default)
[personal profile] cookiegirl
Title: As You Lie Beside Me
Author: [livejournal.com profile] cookielaura
Word Count: 627
Pairing: Neal/Peter (in the context of Neal/Peter/El or approving!El)
Rating: PG, no warnings
Disclaimer: White Collar isn't mine, and I'm not making money from this
Author’s Notes: Written for [livejournal.com profile] run_the_con, for [livejournal.com profile] china_shop’s prompt of “too early”. Big thanks to [livejournal.com profile] embroiderama and [livejournal.com profile] dreamsofspike for beta-ing and reassuring! All mistakes are mine.



As you lie beside me


“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Peter said, reaching out to wind his fingers through Neal’s sleep-mussed hair. He tugged gently.

Neal groaned and burrowed further down under the covers, murmuring something about it being too early, though it was hard to make out the words as he pushed his face into Peter’s bare stomach and snuggled in.

“It’s 9.30,” Peter said, though technically it was a Saturday, they didn’t have to be at work and El was away on business. They could stay in bed all day if they wanted to, but Peter had things he wanted to discuss.

Neal ignored him, not even reacting when Peter pushed the covers back so he could see Neal’s head, which was turned away from him.

“Neal?”

“I’m sleeping,” he grumbled. “It’s not polite to disturb people when they’re sleeping.” His words were still muffled but there was an edge to his voice that Peter was certain was due to more than the desire for a longer lie-in.

He returned his fingers to Neal’s hair, sifting through it. He had his suspicions about why Neal didn’t want to face him, and they made his heart twist with hope and fear. Hope that he hadn’t dreamt it, and fear that Neal had changed his mind – that this was regret he was seeing and not just embarrassment.

“Did you mean what you said last night?”

Peter felt Neal tense for the briefest of moments.

“You heard?” he asked lightly, still looking away. “You didn’t…respond.” The words were carefully neutral, indifferent, an ever-so-polite veneer over the glaring accusation beneath.

“I was half asleep. I wasn’t even sure I’d heard it,” Peter replied gently. The truth was that he’d lain there for a long time, after dragging his mind back from the borders of sleep, trying to work out whether he’d imagined the words in the dark, hazy place between reality and dreams. By the time he’d decided they weren’t just a product of wishful thinking, he’d turned over to find Neal sleeping - or at least pretending to.

“I wasn’t sure I was supposed to hear it,” Peter went on, then paused, waiting for Neal to tell him that the words had been intentional. That they were the truth, and that Neal hadn’t just been trying them on for size. That it hadn’t been a meaningless, post-orgasmic slip of the tongue that Neal was wishing away in the cold light of day.

Neal was silent. For a moment, Peter wondered whether he should leave it, whether it was a mistake to push, whether he should simply cling to the memory of that whispered phrase and believe in it while he could.

Was I supposed to hear it?” he asked at length, tugging on Neal’s hair a little more firmly.

Neal looked up finally, flashing Peter a smile that wasn’t quite genuine. The guarded look in his eyes was unpleasantly familiar. “I haven’t decided,” he said, trying for flippant and failing.

Peter studied him, trying to read whether there was fear or apology in the twist of the smile. When Neal flushed and glanced away again, Peter pushed his own nerves away, pulled Neal into his arms and dragged him further up the bed until their heads were on the same pillow. Neal, trapped and unable to turn aside, took the only escape left to him and closed his eyes.

Peter kissed his eyelids. “Well, whether I was meant to hear or not… I agree with your sentiments.”

Neal’s eyes flicked open. “You do?” he asked, caution and eagerness warring in his voice.

“Of course. I can barely remember a time when I didn’t love you,” Peter said softly.

Neal’s smile was slow, soft, beautiful. “Then you were meant to hear it,” he said.

Date: 2012-11-08 09:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ratherastory.livejournal.com


*draws teeny-tiny hearts around the whole fic*

Date: 2012-11-08 09:11 pm (UTC)
elrhiarhodan: (Default)
From: [personal profile] elrhiarhodan
Oh, LOVE!

This is perfect. I would quote back all my favorite bits, but I'd be quoting back the whole thing. But the very best is this:

Peter kissed his eyelids. “Well, whether I was meant to hear or not… I agree with your sentiments.”

Neal’s eyes flicked open. “You do?” he asked, caution and eagerness warring in his voice.

“Of course. I can barely remember a time when I didn’t love you,” Peter said softly.

Neal’s smile was slow, soft, beautiful. “Then you were meant to hear it,” he said.

Date: 2012-11-08 09:27 pm (UTC)
kanarek13: (feel)
From: [personal profile] kanarek13
Eeeeeeee \o/ Beautiful ♥ *happy sigh* I LOVE Peter sifting his fingers through Neal's hair, it's one of my favorite buttons to push :D :D :D And Neal is so adorable when he's in his sleepy cuddle mode, even when he's feeling a bit insecure.
Awww :D

Perfect :D

Date: 2012-11-08 09:39 pm (UTC)
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
From: [personal profile] china_shop
*showers you with hearts and sparkles* Booooys!!! Sleepy self-declaring boys!!! Sooooo adorable!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Date: 2012-11-08 09:52 pm (UTC)
theatregirl7299: (Default)
From: [personal profile] theatregirl7299
Awwww. All cozy and comfy. I love the boys when they are like this.
Sleepy Neal and happy relaxed Peter are some of my favorites and you write them so well.

Thanks for the schmoop. :-)

Date: 2012-11-08 10:00 pm (UTC)
sinfulslasher: (neal approves)
From: [personal profile] sinfulslasher
*flails like a flaily thing*

Awesome! I have so much love for this! :D :D :D

Date: 2012-11-08 10:28 pm (UTC)
embroiderama: (White Collar - Neal & Peter handsome)
From: [personal profile] embroiderama
Once again, I love this. And *points up* told you so. ;)

Date: 2012-11-09 03:35 am (UTC)
sholio: Peter from White Collar, in a suit, smiling (WhiteCollar-Peter smiling)
From: [personal profile] sholio
Awwwwww. ♥

Date: 2012-11-09 04:02 am (UTC)
From: [personal profile] ivorysilk
So sweet and adorable :-)

Date: 2012-11-09 05:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] droodlebug.livejournal.com
Wonderfully sweet. I am looking forward to reading more from you. Thank you!

Date: 2012-11-09 07:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] daria234.livejournal.com
This is terrific and sweet and very ic :)

Date: 2012-11-09 09:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] love-82.livejournal.com
Awwwww. I think my heart just melted. :)

I love this! <3
Edited Date: 2012-11-09 09:12 am (UTC)

Date: 2012-11-09 11:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hurinhouse.livejournal.com
aw. i feel like i just had the most delicious cupcake. yumm!

Date: 2012-11-09 12:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyrose42.livejournal.com
Me love romance, especially early declarations of love when either party is still testing the water and so scarec about the answer. There is nothing like using your partner's tummy for a .

Date: 2012-11-09 12:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] calis-1st.livejournal.com
This is so sweet - thank you for posting it!

Date: 2012-11-09 11:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pjna3.livejournal.com
Awwwwww... How sweet! I could just picture them in bed entwined, having this talk. <3

I gather from some of the comments that you haven't written much WC fic. I hope you write more - this was terrific!

Date: 2012-11-10 01:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kerrylang.livejournal.com
Just perfect!!! I love it when they talk so reluctant about love and Neal being embarrassed, hiding and Peter knowing exactly what that's all about. The dialogue is awesome.

Can't have enough of such fanfics!!

Date: 2012-11-11 06:02 am (UTC)
ext_1374973: (Default)
From: [identity profile] miri-thompson.livejournal.com
Aw! Perfect! I love how they manage to say the three magic words to each other without actually saying them :D

Date: 2012-11-11 07:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meeni (from livejournal.com)
aww..the last line was so natural reaction..and the fic is just lovely

Date: 2012-11-12 06:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teaboyfan.livejournal.com
I love the way Peter just keeps chipping away at the walls Neal has built. Neal has had to protect himself for so long that he has trouble letting even Peter in, and it's lovely to see the growing trust. Saying THE WORDS is the ultimate vulnerability - so nice that Peter coaxed him through it.

And I love your OT3 icon.

Date: 2012-11-12 07:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] leela4.livejournal.com
Aww that's so sweet! Neal was scared to admit and Peter was scared he'd take it back. Too sweet.

Date: 2012-11-16 01:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tardisjournal.livejournal.com
Awww, I really enjoyed this! You did a great job portraying two guys that aren't that usually that warm and fuzzy tackling a very warm and fuzzy situation. <3

Date: 2013-04-08 03:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pooh-collector.livejournal.com
So, I'm slow and I just found this. But, I'm really glad tha I did. It was really sweet.

I'm a huge sucker for Peter/Neal schmoop. This definitely filled the bill

Date: 2015-12-08 07:34 am (UTC)
sherylyn: (Default)
From: [personal profile] sherylyn
Love this. Love them. Love your writing them. Perfection, all around. **happy, happy sighs**

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] sherylyn - Date: 2015-12-11 03:05 am (UTC) - Expand

Profile

cookiegirl: (Default)
cookiegirl

January 2022

S M T W T F S
      1
23456 78
9101112131415
16 171819202122
23242526272829
3031     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jan. 23rd, 2026 03:08 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios