A/N: Sorry guys, I've just started high school. It's been a very long week, been very busy lately… But OMG! The other day's White Collar episode was so heartwarming. Really. The sweetness of PeterXElizabeth, and then Neal/Peter's relationship-the look on Neal's face, his hair tousled, breathless...when he's standing over Peter's gurney thingy...

I'm so glad that White Collar doesn't set its main characters against each other, breaking each other's trusts over and over and over again for seven seasons, until FINALLY they begin to trust one another (only to have it shattered yet again). So many of my favorite shows do that—but thankfully, White Collar is the exception!

(…Matt Bomer looks so hot when he runs up and shoots and shouts at Fowler… Heart!)

I've been uninspired writing wise lately. It's not fun. Today's prompt was hard and doesn't really work. xD

Never.

"Burke," Hughes growled from his door. "C'mere."

Peter adjusted his tie and practically ran up the stairs to Hughes office. From where Neal was standing, carefully pouring and mixing coffee for his coworkers, he ouldn't turn to see what was going on with the agents. Ever curious, he turned to Diana. "What's up with them?"

She smiled around her coffee mug. "It's field trip day," she said smugly. "Peter, being the star agent, is taking a group of high school kids around the office."

"From the way you're smiling, I'm guessing it isn't the most coveted job," Neal commented, quite amused at the idea of Peter dealing with a bunch of bored high school students. Peter wasn't so good with kids, or people in general, and he certainly wasn't the most interesting person around the office. "Poor kids."

"Poor Peter," Diana said. "And poor you."

Neal blinked, and set down his doctored cup of coffee. "But—I'm not his partner!" he protested weakly.

"Hey, partner!"

Diana raised her eyebrows at Neal, and the ex-con groaned. Then he turned around, handed his coffee to Peter, and put on his usual winning smile. "Hey, Peter," he said warmly. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Peter stepped around Neal and gestured for him to follow. At Neal's desperate plea of, "Save me!" mouthed to Diana, she laughed and tossed him his hat.

"You have got to teach me how to make this stuff," Peter said to Neal as he dragged him into the elevator. "This is great, thanks, Neal!"

"You're welcome," Neal sighed in a pained voice as Peter took another sip of the coffee in question. He either ignored or didn't notice the agonized tone in his friend's voice, or the bright blue puppy dog gaze that was trained on him. Neal was forced to recognize that he was just going to have to cowboy up and deal with it.

Wait, had Neal just used "cowboy up"? In his own head?

God, this was going to be a long day.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened to reveal the first floor of the FBI building. It was filled with kids and the best agents from each department and unit were trying to split them up into groups. A receptionist jogged up to Peter and Neal, leading a pack of ten ravenous monsters known as teenagers.

"Here you go, Burke. Have them on the roof for lunch, have them down here by five. Caffrey." The receptionist disappeared.

Neal smiled at the very sleepy looking group of kids and received venomous glares from most of them. Peter muttered, "God help us," and then spoke up, welcoming the high schoolers to the FBI, would they just cram themselves into the elevator please?

They shuffled in, dragging their knuckles like stoned gorillas, and there was hardly room for Neal and Peter to follow them inside. Peter struggled to reach the button for their floor, and Neal tried to press himself as far into the corner as he could. The elevator was uncomfortably silent, and the air was getting quite stale—it was with relief that Neal followed the kids out into the office.

He held the door open for the last of the kids, a short girl who looked just as sleepy as the others, but was smiling and seemed at least vaguely human this morning. She continued to smile at him as he followed her inside, and walked beside him as the group drew further away on their tour.

"I feel bad for Agent Burke," she said conversationally, nodding toward where Peter was struggling to keep a cheerful smile on his face.

Neal shrugged. "Eh. At least it wasn't me."

She snorted. "I'm guessing you guys are partners."

For a moment, the two were silent as the conman-turned-consultant considered this. He had protested at being called Peter's partner earlier, but…

He met his friend's gaze across the small sea of teenagers. The agent offered him a good-natured grimace, and Neal shot him an encouraging smile. To think they'd be having this moment, after three years of running and chasing, taunting and teasing, and four years of bitter separation… It seemed impossible.

If you had come to Neal in prison, or even a few months in to his new job, he would have laughed and said, "Me and Peter Burke? Pshh. Never."

But now?

Neal's smile softened. "Yeah, I guess we are."