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It’s a normal day in the White Collar offices. Neal is avoiding his paperwork, Peter is pestering him about it, and everyone is trying to be subtle about following the interaction.
The day is normal also in the fact that Neal is the last one to learn about the trip they’re going on.
As usual, Neal seems unworried as he prances into the building, just to be immediately recognized and, unusually, assaulted with a bucketful of unknown liquids.
The team doesn’t need to find any proof of White Collar Crimes as they can immediately take in the suspects for assaulting Neal. Neal who’s holding his wet clothes away from his skin and muttering something vague about “not needing this with his immune system.”
As Peter rides back to the office with Neal, the car stinks of chemicals, and as they get back into the FBI building, Peter notices that the fabric of Neal’s suit is a lot thinner than it had been in the morning.
The liquid must be corrosive.
As per protocol, Peter gets Neal to a decontamination shower. It’s a huge struggle, Neal stubbornly resisting him the whole way there, but eventually Neal agrees to get into a shower at the offices instead of waiting to go to June’s for it.
When Neal returns from the shower, he’s pulling the FBI borrowed sweater over his head, and Peter abruptly realizes that he’s never seen Neal shirtless before.
“Jesus, Neal. What are all those from?”
With the way Neal flinches, he almost thinks Neal’s forgotten where he was. Peter knows better, though. Neal never forgets where he is, and more than that, the decontamination shower is uncomfortable enough that you can’t forget your surroundings in it.
“We should get some coffee,” Neal tries to distract, but Peter knows better than to take the bait.
“Why’s your torso covered in scars?” From the glimpse of skin Peter saw, Neal had been shot, bitten and stabbed, multiple times.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why are you so bruised?” There had been a large purple area on Neal’s side, and some greener extensions to the bruise, shaped almost like a hand.
“Can’t a guy like getting roughed up in bed? Jesus, Peter, it’s like you don’t know anything about anything.”
“Neal.”
“I pity El if you can’t even think of some non-vanilla sex.”
Peter lets the topic go. If Neal’s not going to talk about it, he’s not going to talk about it. They don’t both need to feel hurt about it in the process.
Tim had forgotten, in the familiar pounding of a decon shower that he hadn’t actually been back at the cave. He leaves the shower like he normally would at the cave, hurriedly and not yet fully clothed, and remembers his surroundings only as Peter makes a big deal out of seeing his skin.
It’s not honest, exactly, but it’s not a lie either, when Tim deflects to sex instead of explaining the bruises.
He likes how strong Jay and Kon are, and how easily they can manhandle him, how easily they can bruise him, and just how easily they give that strength up to do exactly what Tim wants. They bruise him when and where he wants it, and they treat him gently when and where he wants it, when he needs it and doesn’t know to ask for it.
The bruise just isn’t from one of his boyfriends this time around.
He kind of hates how easily rogues and goons can bruise him, compared to his partners. With Kon’s invulnerability and Jason’s post-pit healing factor, they’re not getting bruised involuntarily.
Well, at least he knows where their bruises come from.