Comment Amnesty & Drabble Meme: Part Three

[angelita26]

Due to work continuing to be a pain in the ass and the fact that I can barely come on LJ without having anxiety over the number of unresponded to comments I have, I'm declaring comment amnesty on 2014. I love every single comment that I received, and I adore each and every one of you for taking the time to respond to my work. I'm just at the point of choosing between responding or writing, and if I don't keep writing, I fear the muse will run away. I will do better in 2015, I promise.

With that said, it's time to feed the muse. Welcome to Drabble Meme: Part Three!

Rules: In the comments, leave me the name of a character and a noun (place, emotion, thing, whatever). You can also specify a 'verse or story, if you'd like - my Masterlist is almost up-to-date and AO3 is up-to-date. I'll write you a drabble/ficlet.

Prompt away! :)

Comments

[theatregirl7299]

Baby Neal - Russian Surplus

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

It's a little... okay, a lot late, but here it is! Enjoy! (Also I picture Neal as about 5 here :))


"Mockingbird to Bluejay. Come in, Bluejay."

There was a giggle from behind the couch before Mozzie heard the slightest hint of static from his Russian Military Surplus walkie talkies. A second later, little Neal Burke's voice came through loud and clear. "Bluejay, here. 10-4."

"The coast is clear. Operation: Cookie is a go."

More laughter from Neal's hiding spot caused Mozzie to grin.

"I'm makin' a run for it," Neal said over the walkie before he darted out and made a mad dash for the kitchen island. He stumbled briefly on the rug before righting himself, jumping over a slumbering Satchmo, and climbing up on one of the bar chairs so that he could reach the unattended plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"I'll keep watch." Mozzie retreated to the chair that he'd turn to face both the front door and the kitchen at the same time. Suit and Elizabeth wouldn't be home for another half hour at least, but Neal didn't know that, and Moz didn't mind spoiling him with cookies.

A couple of minutes later, Neal popped up at Mozzie's side with a chocolate-smeared face and a whole cookie clutched in one fist. "For you, Moz- Sorry! Mockingbird."

Mozzie smiled and ruffled his hair. "You can have that one, but that's the last one before bed. Your parental units will be home soon and expect you to be in bed, Bluejay."

"10-4!"

[elrhiarhodan]

Neal Hughes, please.

Hope.

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

This is immediately after Christmas Eve Comforts (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1804273) - I've included a little bit of that story in italics to give context for this. Enjoy!


Soon, the rest of the family joined him at the table, and they joked and laughed about past Christmases and things the twins had done as toddlers while they ate. Neal sat back and took it all in, quiet but attentive to anything they wanted to share.

However, by the time that Cathy pulled out a pumpkin pie, Neal was all but asleep in his chair. He blinked blearily at Reese, who pulled Neal to his feet and guided him over to his bed. Neal stumbled but managed to make it mostly under his own steam.

Reese got him situated and pulled the covers up over Neal's chest. He hesitated for a moment before patting Neal's arm. "Get some rest, son."

"Night Dad," Neal murmured and immediately dropped into sleep.

Reese's breath caught, and his heart stuttered. Neal had just called him Dad. He didn't know what to do or say, but he didn't want to wake the sick young man, so he took a few careful steps back.

"Reese? Is everything okay?" Cathy placed a hand on his arm and squeezed firmly.

"He said… He called me Dad."

Cathy's eyes widened as she looked over his shoulder at their sleeping son. "What?"

Reese gave himself a shake and pulled his wife into an embrace. "He was falling asleep, and he has a fever. I called him 'son'. He was only reacting-"

"Oh, Reese, don't do that. Don't diminish what he said because he said it to you and not me." Cathy took a deep breath and closed her eyes, unable to look at Neal any longer. She didn't want to be jealous, but she couldn't help herself. One day, Neal would be comfortable enough to call her Mom. She wouldn't let go of that hope.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.

"Don't be," she said quietly. "I love you."

"Love you too."

[kanarek13]

No surprise I'm going there...

Neal - pain

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

Happy (belated) birthday, my friend!!! *HUGS* Enjoy!


Neal hadn't been able to stop himself. As soon as their embezzlement suspect's goon tried to attack Peter, Neal had pounced on him. Unfortunately, the guy outweighed him by at least fifty pounds and had very easily flung him into the nearest wall.

Neal's arm had taken the brunt of the impact, and he'd actually heard the bones snap before he fell heavily to the floor. He lay still for a minute, feeling shocked and numb.

By the time he was able to climb to his feet, clutching the arm that still didn't hurt, Diana and Jones were leading the team inside to arrest the goon and march him outside.

"You okay?" Peter asked, looking Neal over from head to toe.

He reached for Neal's arm before Neal could answer, and when Neal jerked back instinctively, the pain finally hit. He gasped and tried to curl around the arm.

"Neal?"

"Peter," he moaned. "It hurts."

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"My arm." Neal squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against Peter as the older man tried to gently peel Neal's sleeve away from his arm. Unfortunately, the action jostled the broken bones, and Neal cried out just before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

The next thing that Neal was really aware of was the stifling warmth of a thick blanket and the floating sensation of good painkillers. He opened his eyes to find his casted arm propped up on a pillow across his stomach. Slowly, he rolled his head to the side and saw Peter texting on his phone with one hand while the other was curled lightly around Neal's uninjured hand.

"Hey," Neal rasped.

Peter looked up and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing hurts."

"That would be the drugs."

"Good drugs."

Peter chuckled. "Get some rest. The docs'll release you soon, and then I'll take you home."

"Thanks, Peter."

Peter patted his hand, and Neal let the drugs take him away again.

[pooh-collector.livejournal.com]

I'm a follower -

Neal Hughes

trust

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

A little Neal Hughes for you :) For context, this is set a couple of years after Redraw the Lines. Enjoy!


"Do you trust me?"

Neal was having trouble focusing through the pain radiating from his hand. He stared at Michael for a moment and then sputtered, "What?"

Michael just grimaced and shifted his grip on Neal's dislocated thumb. They'd been playing a game of touch football with the Hughes family cousins when they'd all unexpectedly gone down in a sprawl of limbs. "Take a deep breath," Michael coached and waited for Neal to comply. "On three. One… two…" he pulled the thumb then, exerting enough force to move the bone back into its joint.

Neal cried out and then curled over his hand as soon as Michael released him. He held his hand against his chest and swallowed hard against the rising nausea. Someone – probably Emma – was rubbing circles on his back, and he took a moment to get his bearings back.

The game had been going as well as could be expected. Neal had been excused last Thanksgiving because he'd been recovering from a job-related injury, but this Thanksgiving, Emma had given him the puppy-dog eyes until he'd relented. Everything had gone fine until their cousin Millie had tripped and taken them all down with her. Neal had no idea how he'd injured his thumb, but the abrupt pain had been a shock to his system.

"C'mon," Emma said as Michael got Neal to his feet, "Let's go put some ice on that."

Reese and Cathy, as well as the other aunts and uncles, crowded Neal, asking him if he was okay and what had happened and if he needed to go to the ER. Finally, Reese and Cathy maneuvered him into the study and shut out the rest of the family. Emma joined them a few minutes later with a bag of ice.

"I'm okay," Neal assured them, having caught his breath and gotten a handle on his nausea. "I feel like an idiot."

"It was just an accident," Emma replied. "And that was kind of badass. Mike jerking it back into place." She patted his shoulder when he paled at the memory. "It'll go down in Hughes family history."

Neal groaned and blushed. This was not how he thought he'd join the family legends.

[dennih23.livejournal.com]

Bookstore AU - rainy days

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

Here's a bit of fluff for you - Enjoy!

Matt woke to the sound of rain beating against the windows. He tried to see what time it was, but the clock was dark. The power was out. Matt was glad that it was a Sunday and that it was Marsha's day to run the bookstore.

Turning, Matt smiled and leaned over to kiss Tim awake.

"Mmm. Morning." Tim greeted, without opening his eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's Sunday, it's raining, and we have no power. I think this is a sign."

"Of what?"

"That you and I need some quality time together. So, we're going to stay in bed and catch up and… maybe do other things."

Tim opened his eyes and grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"Thought you would."

Tim pulled him into another kiss, and then they got comfortable and caught each other up on work and other things they'd been too busy to really talk about in the last couple of weeks. Then, they did the other things.

[slytheringurrl.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see another time stamp from 'Will verse!
character: Will or Neal
Noun: Dog

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

This was a lot of fun to write - I hope you enjoy!

Neal followed slowly in Will's wake as the boy darted from each dog pen to the next, looking for the perfect pet. Will had turned six a few days before, and his gift was that he got to choose his very first dog from the local animal shelter.

"Dad. Hey, Dad! What do you think of this one?" Will pointed to a beagle puppy that seemed to be trying to jump the fence to get to the little boy.

"He looks all right, but I thought you were looking for a dog like Satchmo." Neal steered him away from the hyperactive puppy and pointed him toward the labs in the next row.

"Satchmo was the best." Will frowned and leaned against Neal's side until Neal put his arm around his son and squeezed his shoulder.

"He was a great dog, and I think you'll be able to find one a lot like him."

"You think so?"

"I do." Neal patted him on the back and watched while Will inspected each dog carefully. Neal and Sara both liked to claim Will's intensity when studying something important to him. He'd known that his son wouldn't take this lightly, which is why he'd agreed that Will was old enough for the responsibility.

Will waved him over and pointed out a well-mannered puppy, who was sitting on his haunches. His tail was going ninety-miles-an-hour, which caused both Neal and Will to laugh.

It only took a minute to track down a volunteer, who helped them take the puppy into the meet-and-greet area. While the puppy could be pretty calm, it was still young, which meant it had a great time with Will, who fell in love pretty immediately.

Neal filled out the paperwork, paid all the fees, and then they were on their way home. While they were walking, they bounced names off each other. A lot of suggestions were made, from Spongebob to Pollock to Sandy. When Will asked about the origins of Satchmo's name, Neal explained about Elizabeth's love of jazz. Will had him name off famous jazz musicians until he heard one he liked. And that's how their puppy was named Dizzy.

(Special thanks to pooh_collector for helping name the puppy :D)

[tjs-whatnot.livejournal.com]

Bookstore AU

Shopping

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

My muse insisted on making this angsty, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! *hugs*


Matt followed Tim's lead through the grocery store, watching his boyfriend fill the cart with items from their list. Every so often, Tim looked back at him, but he waited until they were relatively alone in the spice aisle before speaking.

"What's up?"

Matt looked up from his intense examination of the oregano options. "Huh?"

"You're quiet, you're dragging your feet, and you were a million miles away just then. What's wrong?"

"Marsha and I had a fight. She thinks we'll get more customers if we host a book fair with authors and signings."

"That sounds reasonable," Tim said when Matt fell silent.

"It sounds like a lot of work, and there's no guarantee we can even get any authors to come. It's a used bookstore."

Tim's brow furrowed. "Do other used bookstores host these types of things? I don't know anything about it."

"Marsha says they do." Matt shrugged.

"How about this?" Tim said, moving closer and putting his arms around his boyfriend. "When we get home, you can do some research on it yourself. I'll help if you want. Maybe you can reach out to some writers or whatever and see if there's any interest. Then, you can make an informed decision."

Matt sighed. "It sounds so logical when you say it that way."

"I can be logical sometimes." Tim leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Now, do you want to tell me why you haven't been sleeping well?"

Matt just smiled and kissed him back. "One problem at a time. Are we finished here yet?"

"We need to grab three or four more things. Hang in there."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too."

[sapphire2309]

Sara Ellis - anarchy (blame the random word generator, not me C: )

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

This was fun! I looked up anarchy and went more with the "lack of obedience to an authority" definition. This is super AU - hope you enjoy!


Sara glanced over her shoulder as she slipped out her bedroom window and shimmied out onto a branch of the oak tree that grew beside the house. She left the window open as she climbed down the tree and hurried down the street to the corner where Neal was waiting.

He pulled her into a kiss and asked, "Any trouble?"

"No. Mom and Dad went to bed an hour ago, so the coast was clear. You?"

He shrugged. "Nah. Nothing to worry about at Casa Bennett."

"So, where are we going?"

"Moz came through with the fake IDs." Neal held up two perfect pieces of plastic that pronounced them both twenty-one. "Let's check out that new club on fifth."

"Sounds great, but how are we going to get there?"

"Moz is on his way."

They made out for the next several minutes until Mozzie pulled up, and they all headed to the club.

Sara wasn't quite sure what happened after they arrived, except that the three of them kept ordering drinks. Sometime later, she found herself in the back of a cop car, and even later, she found herself standing outside her house with vomit down the front her shirt and a deputy's coat around her shoulders. Her dad was going to kill her.

[nywcgirl]

Definitely book store AU

love

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking a lot about the future of Bookstore, and this is a little snippet of that future :) Hope you enjoy!


Matt reached across the center console of Tim's Jeep to squeeze his husband's hand. Even though it had been their third interview with the adoption agency, the conferences didn't get any easier. Logically, he understood that the agency was doing everything they could to make sure that Matt and Tim would be good fathers but the process was tough.

"It's going to be okay," Tim said, kissing the back of Matt's hand.

Matt nodded but looked away, out the window at the people passing by on the sidewalk.

"Hey, talk to me."

"What if they reject us? What if they say I'm not physically fit to raise a child?"

Tim looked like he wanted to hit something but instead, he took a deep breath and gave Matt a long, calculating look. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"I-"

"Because that was one of the first questions we asked the agency, and they assured us that we would evaluated like anyone else. You know that you're more than capable of handling a child."

"Am I?"

"Matty, you're one of the strongest people that I know, and yes, things will be a little more difficult for you, but you've never let it stop you before. Don't let it stop you now."

"I'm not trying to, but I just… I worry about it."

"It's okay to worry about it, but you need to be positive. You need to have hope that the adoption will happen."

Matt took a deep breath and met Tim's eyes. His husband's gaze was steady and hopeful, and he couldn't help but feel better. Tim just had that effect on him. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now, let's grab something to eat before I have to get back to the office. Willie's?"

"Sounds good."

[sheenianni.livejournal.com]

The Silent Language of Grief
Mozzie - Starting over

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

This one was tough because that story is a tough one, but I tried :) Hope you enjoy!

Mozzie, for the first time in his life, didn't know what to do. He had wanted to take Neal out of the city as quickly as possible, but his friend's health had gone from bad to worse, and he hadn't felt like Neal could be moved.

He booked plane tickets to Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Sydney to throw the Suit off his trail if he tried to follow him. Then, he took a train to DC, where he hopped a last minute flight to São Paulo.

He found a place to stay without any problems and started a routine that included a nightly stop by the local bar with the best wine selection. He drowned his memories in vinho, but he couldn't bring himself to create lies to tell the bartender Camilla. Instead, he poured his heart out in vague sentences and hypothetical situations.

They moved in together within three months, but Mozzie never told her why he ran several variations of searches on men named Neal Caffrey, Nicholas Halden, Victor Moreau, among others. He was checking for a message, for a sign from Neal that contact was welcome.

[joy2190.livejournal.com]

Neal Hughes
Birthday Cake (does that count as a single noun?!)

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

Here you go :) Enjoy!


Neal's first birthday cake had been half blue and half pink, with a single white candle on each side. He'd sat next to his sister and grinned through the 'Happy Birthday' song while she bawled at the cacophony of Hughes family friends singing at the top of their lungs.

Cathy told him the story while they flipped through the photo album on the night of his first birthday with the Hugheses in over twenty years. Emma was sitting beside him, nodding along like she'd heard it all dozens of times before. Neal felt a pang of regret about how much time he'd missed with them.

Just as he was about to excuse himself so he could step away for a minute, Emma slid her arms around him and gave him the longest hug he'd probably ever had in his life.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said softly.

"Me too," he replied as he patted her arm. "Me too."

[sinfulslasher]

Satchmo - squirrel :D

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry this is so late! In a previous fandom, a friend wrote this epic tale about squirrels trying to take over the world but ultimately becoming protectors of the hero/heroine (if I'm remembering it correctly). Every time I sat down to write this, I thought of that story and how I could never do that sort of thing justice. However, I wrote a little something that dips into H/C territory. Hope you like it!


Satchmo whined and tugged on his leash, which was very unlike him. Neal, his self-appointed dog walker while Peter and El were out of town, looked around but didn't see anyone or anything nearby that would cause such a reaction in the normally docile Lab.

"What's up, Satch? Do you miss Peter and El too?" Neal leaned down to pet the dog, who wagged his tail happily before going back to sniffing around the tree they'd stopped at.

Satchmo inspected the tree thoroughly, sniffing it more than Neal had seen him sniff anything. Then, he did his business.

Neal was texting Peter on his phone and not paying much attention to what Satch was doing, which meant that his legs were a little tangled in the dog's leash from his restless roaming. He was just putting his phone away, when Satchmo gave a mighty bark and dashed off after a squirrel that ran down the tree and darted across the street.

Satchmo was pulled to an abrupt stop when Neal went down in a flurry of limbs. The leash had been wrapped around his wrist, which meant that Satchmo didn't get far, but Neal cursed when his wrist was twisted. "Satchmo!"

The dog whimpered and returned to Neal's side once the squirrel was out of sight. He nosed at Neal's shoulder and then sat down beside him to put his head on Neal's thigh.

"Damn squirrel," Neal muttered as he assessed himself. His wrist was aching, but not as badly as his ankle, which had taken more of the brunt of the leash abuse and the fall. He examined it closely before deciding he could limp home on the sprain. Neal switched the leash over to his other hand, got himself on his feet, and slowly hobbled home. "Don't think I'm not telling Peter and El about this," he warned the dog, who gave him his most innocent look and a little apologetic woof.

[sandy79.livejournal.com]

Bookstore AU

reading (maybe to each other)

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

This is a by-product of my recent binge watching of Friends :D Enjoy!


"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be," Matt whispered as he gently closed their already well-worn copy of Love You Forever and reached out to brush four-year-old Ella's hair away from her face.

"Again, Daddy," she mumbled without opening her eyes.

Matt laughed softly. "It's time for little girls and boys to be sleeping. Sammy's already in dreamland. Good night, sweetheart."

Ella clutched her favorite stuffed bear close and promptly fell asleep if her steady breathing was any indication. Across the room, her twin brother Sammy hadn't moved a muscle since the second page of the story.

Matt looked up to see Tim watching from the bedroom doorway with a big smile on his face. Matt carefully stood and made his way out of the room. "How long were you there?"

"A while." Tim gave Matt a kiss before they both headed toward their bedroom. "They love it when you read that story."

Matt grinned and sat down on the bed. "It was such a long day. I'm exhausted."

Tim frowned as he climbed into his side. "I'll take them if they wake up tonight. Try and rest."

Matt nodded, laid down, and promptly fell asleep himself.


(Names are subject to change because I have the worst time settling on names, and text is from Love You Forever by Robert Munsch)

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

Are you still taking prompts?
how about Peter and Mozzie in the Lost Boys verse?

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

A little angsty Peter for you :) Hope you like it!

Peter was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee when Mozzie padded quietly into the room. It was nearing four in the morning, and they were each surprised to see the other.

"Can't sleep?" Mozzie asked, as he got a mug from the cabinet and went about making hot chocolate.

"No. You?"

"Not tonight." Mozzie sighed and sat down across from Peter.

"Dreams?"

"Insomnia."

"Oh."

"You?"

Peter shrugged and took a long drink of his coffee. "It's Mother's Day tomorrow. I started dreaming about her. At first it was nice, remembering the things we used to do together, games we played, food we made. Then, it just all took a turn..."

Mozzie was still for a moment before he got up and poured more coffee into Peter's cup. "If you want to talk about her, that's okay."

Peter gave him a soft smile. "Thanks, Moz."

[reve-silencieux.livejournal.com]

Okay... here it is. Neal - Will Verse. Potty training. *snicker* (technically Will, not Neal, but you know what I mean!)

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

LOL! I was torn about whether Will would have an accident the whole time I was thinking about this - it was such a great prompt. I hope you enjoy!


"Okay, Will. You know the deal. If you pee in the potty, then you get a cookie."

"Choco chip, Daddy?"

"We have chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin."

Will made a face at the second option, and Neal had to laugh. Raisins were not among Will's favorite foods this week.

"Do you have to pee in the potty?" Neal asked and sighed when Will shook his head.

"Play blocks!" Will took off for his room. He dragged his Legos into the middle of the floor and started building a lopsided tower.

Neal stood in the doorway and watched him for a few minutes. He was torn between going to his office to work a bit on the security plans he was meeting with the DeArmitt Gallery about the next day or building blocks with his son. Then, Will looked up at him with a grin, and Neal couldn't stop himself from joining the toddler on the floor.

A little while later, Will started hopping from foot to foot. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy."

"What's wrong?" Neal was so intently working on a Lego building that he didn't notice Will's pee-pee dance.

"Have to go!"

Neal's head snapped up, and he pointed down the hall. "Go, go, go!"

Will dashed for the bathroom and just barely made it in time. When he was done, and his hands were washed, Neal patted him on the shoulder and handed over his cookie. "I'm proud of you, Will."

[scarym1.livejournal.com]

Neal - Lonely

[angelita26.livejournal.com]

*hugs Neal tight* Hope you enjoy! I tried to do something post-season 6 here and then I just wanted to hug Neal.


Neal sat outside his favorite café and watched people as they walked by, on their way to work or to a nearby garden. There was a copy of the International New York Times open on his table, but Neal had abandoned reading it in favor of searching the crowd for a familiar face.

Moz had sent word via plan 253 – coded messages on the Catch Me If You Can book's Amazon product page – that he was on his way to Paris, but Neal had yet to see him. The notes had been shared a week ago, so it was possible that his oldest friend was still making his way as undetected as possible across the Atlantic.

Now that he had the hope of seeing a friend again, Neal was starting to realize how lonely he'd been throughout the last year. He was always able to make superficial friends, the type you flirted with or charmed, but those weren't really the kind of friends that he wanted to have. He hoped that his true friends would be able to forgive him one day for everything he'd put them through.