comment_fic 471-475: WC/HL, WC/Inception, Psych, Gundam Wing, WC/myth

[tigriswolf]

Title: Maker, remake, complete
Fandom: Highlander/White Collar
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: future!fic for both shows
Pairings: none stated
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 710
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar/Highlander. Neil, Methos, Duncan, Joe. "Hey, Uncle." "Uncle?" "He was my teacher's brother. Hence, uncle." Kronos was Neil's teacher.

 

The way Adam's fingers clench around his glass for a moment lets Joe know that someone's on the way. A few moments later, Mac lifts his head, and about ten seconds after that, a fancy kid saunters in.

Joe's pretty sure no one dressed so nice has ever been in the place before.

Sharp blue eyes take in everything: the few patrons here so early, Mac, and the Old Man masquerading as a kid just outta grad school.

He settles next to Adam with a grin and his act is almost as good as Adam's. If Joe hadn't seen Mac and Adam's reactions, even as a watcher, he'd have been fooled.

He orders the same thing Adam's drinking and seems content to sit there all day, nursing a single glass. Joe wonders if he knows what he is; he hasn't reacted to Mac or Adam at all.

"He's dead, you know."

The words are so soft Joe barely hears them. He isn't even sure Adam's spoken until the kid's fingers clutch his glass so hard it shatters.

"He died because I betrayed him," Adam continues, eyes on his own glass as the kid picks shards out of his palm. "The last thing he saw was me taking Silas' head."

"And Caspian?" the kid asks quietly, no emotion in his voice. His gaze stays on his skin as it knits.

"Lost his head."

The kid nods and looks up to smile at Joe. "Another, please? I'll pay for the glass, of course."

Adam gives the kid a fond, exasperated glance that Joe's sure he himself used to give Adam, back before he knew about the Old Man. "Put it on my tab, Joe," he says. "And toss in some food for the brat."

The kid rolls his eyes (and Joe seriously needs to stop thinking about him as the kid, because he clearly knows about the Horsemen, which makes him old).

"I'm Neal Caffrey," he says brightly. "And an FBI agent is going to rush through that door any minute now," he adds, turning his head to look at Mac. "Please don't try to attack him or anything." Looking back at Adam, he confides, "Peter worries about me."

Adam laughs. "He wants to strangle you, you mean."

Neal's grin makes him look ten years younger, which is quite the feat since he already looked maybe twelve. "Well, yeah."

"Before your keeper arrives," Adam says, gesturing for Mac and Joe to lean in close, "allow me to introduce my darling nephew." Joe shares a glance at Mac, who shrugs, just as in the dark. Hopefully this secret revealed won't blow up in their faces.

(And he mentally pauses for a moment, to wonder if Methos has been fiddling around with the Chronicles for years. He doesn't recognize this kid, not from a description or pictures, but he's got to be somewhere near Cassandra's age.)

"This is Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod and his Watcher, the delightful Joe Dawson."

Neal shakes both their hands. "Thank you for looking after Uncle for me," he says. "It's been awhile since I saw him."

A man whose bearing and outfit scream FBI storms in, arrowing straight for Neal. Joe bustles away for a moment, letting them have the illusion of privacy, and Adam clearly hears every word, if his grin is anything to go by.

"Special Agent Burke," the FBI guy finally says, looking to Joe. "My consultant, Neal Caffrey."

Joe moves back in and asks, "Somethin' I can help you with, agent?"

"I hope so," Burke says.

o0o

Later that night, after Joe turns the bar over to Mike and makes his way to Mac's, as they're discussing this turn of events and Joe confesses he searched for any mention of Neal in the chronicles, Mac pauses mid-sentence and turns his head to the door.

Joe is unsurprised when Adam lets himself in, Neal at his heels.

"The brat's agreed to play Truth or Dare, if you want," Adam says, sprawling on Mac's couch, not caring that Mac had already been settled there. "I'm all for it, myself."

Mac rolls his eyes and Joe tries to discreetly hide his notebook.

Neal grins, though, settling himself next to Adam, and Joe figures, what the hell.

Title: a nightingale serenading the infinite
Fandom: Inception/White Collar
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: future!fic; implied child abuse
Pairings: Eames/Arthur
Rating: PG
Point of view: third
Wordcount: 740
Prompt: Inception (can be a crossover), Arthur/any, He/She insisted on meeting his family; this is the only family Arthur has.

 

Eames knows the nature of secrets, how they loom in the back of one's mind, how they whisper and croon, how they can mock and turn and change. There are places locked away in his head he never wants anyone to see, much less Arthur.

He'd bet Arthur already knows, though.

o0o

What they have isn't conventional. It's much more fun.

o0o

Five years after the Fischer job, seven years after they met, Arthur settles into the chair across from Eames at his usual cafe and says, "Routines can get you killed."

Eames toasts him with his lemonade and drains it down.

o0o

(Arthur had a brother once. Back before he was Arthur, he had a brother. His brother loved to dress fancy, to pretend he was someone else, someone important, someone powerful. Someone who'd leave a mark on the world.

Arthur had a brother once.)

o0o

"Our flight leaves tonight," Arthur says.

Eames leaves some of Arthur's cash on the table and follows him out the door.

o0o

He doesn't know where they're going, what they'll do once they arrive, or why. Nor does he care. Arthur has a reason for everything, and it all makes perfect sense once it's clear.

Arthur is quiet on the plane. He stares out the window, a scrap of paper clutched in his fist.

Eames only catches sight of the scrap once; it's a sketch, of a much younger Arthur and another dark-haired little boy.

They're both grinning wide enough to light up the world.

o0o

They land just after midnight and the airport is quiet. They have only carry-ons, so they immediately catch a cab. The hotel is nice enough, with only one bed.

Arthur says only what is necessary and goes straight to sleep. Eames stays up, watching him. He's not worried, not yet. Soon, though. If Arthur doesn't explain soon, then Eames will worry.

o0o

In the morning, Arthur says, "Come with me, Mr. Eames."

Eames follows him.

o0o

(Arthur had a brother once, back when his name was Aidan and all he cared about was getting through junior high without broken bones and black eyes.

Aidan's brother was Noah, and he loved to sketch and he loved to paint. Aidan loved math and science, and he dragged Noah to self-defense classes.

Their father said Aidan had the brain and Noah the imagination, and then he slapped Noah across the face. When Aidan forced himself between them, their father shoved him into the wall.)

o0o

The sun is bright in Savannah's sky and Eames doesn't know their destination, but Arthur is trudging along looking all proper and sharp in his suit. He's not even sweating.

Eames thinks about making a comment, but Arthur's shoulders are set and there's no humor in his face. Eames has spotted two guns and three knives hidden away on Arthur's body, which means there are half a dozen other weapons somewhere.

Arthur leads Eames to a cemetery. He hesitates at the entrance, glances quickly at Eames, and then strides through.

o0o

The headstone says simply, Noah and two dates.

Arthur says quietly, "I've missed you."

Eames says nothing at all.

o0o

(Arthur had a brother once. He had a twin who loved to laugh, who was seven minutes younger and ten times louder, who dreamed that one day they would change the world.

Aidan couldn't even attend his brother's funeral. He was in the hospital with a broken leg, a shattered collarbone, and a severe concussion that still lingered days after The Event.

Aidan visited his brother's grave just after the stone was set. Once. He then left town and changed his name.

Arthur came back just after he left the army. His father was never found, and will never desecrate the cemetery where Noah rests.)

o0o

They fly out that night. Arthur doesn't speak at all. Eames tucks him into the window-seat and cradles Arthur's hand in his. Arthur falls asleep against him and Eames rests his chin on Arthur's head.

Once they're back home, Eames gently pulls Arthur behind him until they're at Eames' apartment. He steers Arthur to the bed, strips him, and tucks him in again. He moves to leave, but Arthur pulls him down and curls into him.

Arthur doesn't cry, but Eames wishes he would.

o0o

(In another world, Neal Caffrey takes Peter Burke to a grave the day his anklet comes off. He tells Peter about a little boy who used to have a brother.)

 

 

Title: The hand that mocked them
Fandom: Psych
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: preseries AU
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 260
Point of view: third
Prompt: Shawn, He never came back to stay in Santa Barbara

 

Gus gets a postcard six years after Shawn takes off. The picture on the front is of a sunrise over the water. On the back, the address is in Georgia. The handwriting is Shawn's, and the message is simply, come find me.

Gus has missed Shawn, but there are responsibilities he can't shake. He puts the postcard on the fridge.

o0o

Ten years after Shawn takes off, two FBI agents visit Gus at his apartment. They ask him questions about Shawn, about Shawn's childhood, his attitude, his capabilities, and his plans for the future.

Gus explains that he knew Shawn a decade ago and hasn't seen him since.

One of the agents pulls the postcard off his fridge and asks if they can keep it.

Gus wants to say no, but doesn't.

o0o

Ten and a half years after Shawn takes off, he gets another postcard. The image on the front is of a skull-and-crossbones. The address on the back is blacked out and Shawn's message is scrawled in red ink.

I wish you'd been my first mate.

Gus places it in the pages of his senior yearbook, marking Shawn's quote-My name is Ozymandias, king of kings. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.

At the time, it'd been a joke between them. Now, Gus wonders if it was a warning.

o0o

The FBI comes back and Gus answers all their questions.

He knows it won't help.

The Shawn he can provide knowledge about died a long time ago. The Shawn they're after is his killer. And Gus doesn't know either of them anymore.

 

 

Title: one-way road
Fandom: Gundam Wing Mobile Suit
Disclaimer: not my characters, except the ones who are
Warnings: pre-series; AU
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 220
Point of view: third
Prompt: Gundam Wing, Duo, an alternate origin story

 

He found the kid on the street, picking pockets and about to move up the chain to hustling. He figured the kid would be dead before the end of the year.

His mother collected beautiful things; it's how she got him.

So when the kid—brown hair, purple-blue eyes—reached into his pocket, he grabbed the thin wrist and offered him a choice.

Only time would tell if the kid chose wisely or not.

o0o

Seven years later, riots tore the neighborhood apart. His mother was planetside, and he sent all the staff home, thinking they might survive if they weren't near the affluent.

"C'mon, kid," he said. "We have to get out of here."

They ran together, him and the kid with the smart-mouth even his mother couldn't tame.

o0o

He knew he wouldn't make it. Maybe the kid would.

So he ducked into an alley and told the kid to find Professor G, because Ma had said he might know how to fix things.

"Don't forget your lessons," he murmured, hands sliding away from the wound in his side. "You're our second chance, kid."

o0o

Theodora Maxwell watched in horror and pride as the Oz soldiers dragged the boy with the braid towards the base.

She learned later that his name was Duo Maxwell, and she knew he'd chosen wisely.

 

 

Title: summer sang in me
Fandom: White Collar/mythology
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: takes place somewhat early on
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 580
Point of view: third
Prompt: White Collar, Neal/Peter, Peter always thought that Neal had no family. It turns out that Neal is a son of Hermes, God of Thieves
More notes: same 'verse as this

 

Neal doesn't often talk about his family. Occasionally, he starts a sentence with when my father, but then he seems to realize it and cuts himself off. The only time Peter reacted was the first, just in case Neal ever decides to finish the thought.

Peter used to think Neal had an unhappy childhood; why else would he have gone into crime, reinvented himself, and lie like breathing?

He doesn't believe Neal was abused. Possibly neglected. Neal never mentions his mother, step-mother, foster mother, adopted mother, grandmother, aunt, or any woman at all who might have had a hand in raising him. But he does mention his father, sometimes, in relation to various cons he pulls for the FBI.

—when my father—

o0o

Neal is fifteen minutes late to work. He doesn't answer his phone, either the loft's or his cell. Peter checks his anklet; it's still at the loft.

Peter leaves without telling anyone.

o0o

Peter walks silently up the stairs, hearing laughter—Neal's and a stranger's, light as a breeze. They're speaking a language Peter doesn't know. It sounds like it might be Greek.

"Come on in, Peter," Neal calls when he hits the landing.

"You're late," Peter announces, pushing open the door. He pauses once he catches sight of Neal's visitor: a man a few years younger than Neal, with hair a little lighter and eyes just as blue, with a smirk identical to Neal's I know something you don't know smirk.

"Agent Burke," the stranger says. "Delighted to meet you."

Neal grins. "Peter, this is Herman, a very old friend of mine."

Peter raises an eyebrow as 'Herman' grimaces. The name doesn't fit at all but Herman doesn't deny it.

"And Herman," Neal continues, clapping a hand onto Herman's shoulder, "this is Peter, my most recent keeper."

Peter holds out a hand and Herman grips it hard, his palm calloused and strong. "Agent Burke," he says again, "thank you."

o0o

Neal seems so happy in Herman's presence that Peter simply can't force him into work today. After twenty minutes of Herman relating some of Neal's early attempts at painting and conning, he tells them he has to return to the office, and orders Neal to come in early tomorrow.

Instead of shaking Peter's hand in goodbye, Herman pulls him into a massive hug and whispers in his ear, "Thank you."

Peter pulls away in bemusement, glancing at Neal, who only shrugs, and then Peter leaves.

o0o

(Neal takes his visitor to his favorite café in New York. He doesn't worry about his anklet; it will say he's in his loft until tomorrow, when he heads to work.

He keeps calling his visitor Herman and they speak in ancient Greek, the language his father taught him in the cradle, when he whispered about Apollo's cattle and the lyre.

"He seems like a good man, kiddo," Herman says, sipping his lemonade. "I approve."

Neal grins at him and recommends the chocolate chip waffles.)

o0o

when my father charmed the gods, he played a great con.

he told me I can do better.

o0o

Neal walks into Peter's office whistling, flipping his hat in his hands, and he looks so happy, so young. Peter can't help smiling at him.

The smile he gets back is brilliant, one he's never seen before.

Later, at the private art gallery that's missing a painting (The Cattle of Apollon, by an artist Peter's never heard of), Neal says, "My father would've like you, Peter."

Peter takes that as a compliment.