Work Text:
"This is why I love you, because your honor is greater than your need."
Neal scribbled the line underneath a pencil sketch of Peter in the office, in his bad suit, catching bad guys. The line was part of a poem; he couldn't quite find the rest of the words yet even though he could feel their shape in his mind.
He sighed and fliped the sketch book shut, tossing it onto the night stand. Peter's complete unwillingnesss to potentially compromise their effectiveness at work or his relationship with El (nevermind that she'd all but given them her explicit permission) somehow only made Neal admire him more. It was a painful paradox. Had Peter been the kind of guy who would risk it all to be with Neal, who would throw caution to the wind, then Neal wouldn't have been nearly as interested in him.
Peter was focused, steady. Tedious. He never acted without thinking it through, which is something Neal could appreciate. Even when he was frustrated by how long Peter took to think about things (always) Neal was more and more infatuated with Peter's every slow and steady move.
On the point of his (potential, unrealized) relationship with Neal, Peter had dug in his heels an absolutely refused to reconsider. No amount of rationalizing, seducing, or scamming by Neal could sway him, although it obviously wore on him. Neal knew that Peter wanted him, but Peter was convinced that any (ahem) expansion of their relationship would be a breach of trust-- with the feds and with his wife.
And goddammit if Neal's (obviously broken) brain didn't think that was hot. Peter would say it's because he's a thief: always wanting what he can't have is his M.O. Peter. Peter was the problem and the solution.
Neal kicked the covers off his legs and rolled over. Or maybe, he thought, El could be the solution. He grinned into his pillow, already building a new plan.
A woman's touch was just what this situation needed. And if that doesn't work, he thought, I'll turn Mozzie loose.