Title: Count For Something. Word Count: 450. Inspiration: Line From the Pilot: "I brought this to you. Doesn't this count for something?" and TJ-TeeJay's story Scapegoat. Spoilers/Setting: Spoilers for Under the Radar, and On Guard.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not White Collar, not Matt Bomer... nothing.
Neal holds the bottle in his hands, his fists clenching with anger. After everything they have been through together as a team, and Peter still doesn't trust him.
They nearly died together on that dock, hell, they nearly died in that vault together, and Peter still holds him in contempt. All because of a piece of a painting that just happened to float by after the explosion.
They've been working together for about two years now, and Peter refuses to trust Neal completely. And sometimes Neal's okay with that. Because he knows that no matter what happens Peter will have his back.
But when Peter accuses him of blowing all of that precious art up, art that has been lost to the world for who knows long, Neal can't handle it. The look in Peter's eyes says it all. They've gone back to being criminal and fed, and Neal doesn't know how long it will last.
Neal has done so much for Peter, from giving up his life as a criminal and actually trying to change to giving information about his past that he's only given to a few people. People he trusts. He's shown Peter on more than one occasion that he can trust him, so why doesn't he? Isn't what they've been through enough? Doesn't it count for something?
He throws the now empty bottle at the floor, taking little pleasure in the shattering of the glass. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. It hurts more than Neal would like to admit, and he knows that it shouldn't affect him this way.
Neal knows that he should have expected this to happen. He should have kept his guard up, especially when Adler showed up. Footsteps are heard coming up the stairs and Neal instantly puts on a façade that would even fool Mozzie, if only for a few minutes.
It's June, and she's worried. Neal can tell that much. "I heard something crash, is everything okay?" She asks. She knows something's up, but she knows enough not to ask. June knows that Neal's not one to ask for advice, especially when it comes to trust issues.
"I didn't mean to scare you June. It was just the bottle; it fell off the table when I was working." Neal lies. He doesn't know why, he just does. She leaves and the façade Neal has drops suddenly. He shouldn't be reacting this way, especially now of all times. He will always be a criminal in Peter's eyes, and Peter will always be a Fed in his. It was just how things worked in the universe, and there was nothing neither of them could do to change it.