prompts { 2022 } fictober

[iluvroadrunner6]

Going to do one fic a day in an attempt to buff my word count for this year. Is this dumb when I already have prompts that I'm working through? Maybe but I'm in for the challenge.



PROMPTS:
1. “I chose you.”
2. “Nobody warned you about me?”
3. “That was not my intention.”
4. “How would that even work?”
5. “No, anything but that.”
6. “Adaptable, I like that.”
7. “Check that again, are you sure?”
8. “Do you remember?”
9. “Sounds like a you problem.”
10. “It’s my name on the line.”
11. “Think! For once!”
12. “You’re making my head hurt.”
13. “I don’t want you to do that.”
14. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
15. “What are you doing?”
16. “You’re looking, but you don’t see.”
17. “Are you serious?”
18. “I don’t think this is your problem.”
19. “Do we have a deal?”
20. “There’s only us.”
21. “I never said that.”
22. “Who said this is a good idea?”
23. “Not on my watch!”
24. “Is this safe?”
25. “You know I’d do anything.”
26. “I’m doing it, shut up.”
27. “That’s not why we’re doing this.”
28. “We all have our reasons.”
29. “You love this, don’t you?”
30. “I know what this looks like.”
31. “I’m not alone and neither are you.”

Request plurk
Completed: 31/31
Word Count: 63,823

Comments

10/26 ~ i'm doing it, shut up. ~ teleios ~ 1,341

[alias_savant]

Neal finds Peter out on the front porch of his and Elizabeth’s house, watching little Neal play with bubbles in the front yard. Peter glances over at him, and, like Peter does, he instantly knows what Neal’s up to.

“What do you want?”

“Why do I have to want something?”

“Because you’re wearing your ‘I want something’ face.”

Neal huffs and rolls his eyes before moving to sit on the stairs next to him. “I need a favor.”

“Which is?”

“I’ve been stocking up on some favors.”

Peter glances back at Neal and raises an eyebrow. “You know, Dylan would probably give you anything you wanted.”

“Yes, he definitely would. But it can’t hurt to have a few favors in the back, just in case.”

“Just in case what? You’re worried that he’s going to betray you?”

Neal still doesn’t know how to actually articulate how weird it feels to rely on someone for everything—food, home, a safe world where he can be with all his friends—and then go back and ask for more. Especially from someone he considers a friend. There are some things, purely selfish things, that he doesn’t want to run a tab for, and this is how he sees his way of doing it.

“No. But it never hurts to have the local currency stashed away for a rainy day.”

Peter nods, before conceding that one. “Fair. What does this have to do with me?”

“The agents, I reached out to say they only deal with pairs. So, for whatever challenge they want to put on my plate, I need a partner.”

“Ahh,” he nods slowly. “Do we both get favors or just you?”

“No, we both complete the challenge. We both get the favors.”

“Good.” Peter gets to his feet before nodding. “Alright, I’m in. When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Neal clamps a hand on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Thanks Peter. You won’t regret this.”

Peter gives him a look before shaking his head. “The day is young. I still might.”

* * * * *

“Have you got it?”

Neal can see Peter clenching his jaw over his shoulder, and knows that he’s being a pain. Neal is a pain professionally, so it’s not like that’s anything new. But, he very much wants to take over and do it himself, but he can’t. And so, to sublimate his frustration, he complains.

“I’m working on it,” Peter speaks through gritted teeth, keeping his eyes on the lock in front of him. He needs to pick it in order for them to move on to the next phase of the challenge, all in search of a favor. Castor and Pollux are finicky agents and as a result, they’re expected to lean into each other’s skills for this quest, Neal taking the aspects that come more naturally to Peter, while Peter does the same for Neal.

Which is why they’ve been standing in front of this lock for twenty minutes.

“Mozzie and I taught you how to do this.”

“Yes, you did.”

“You did very well with it. We were quite proud.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Have you forgotten?”

Peter looks up at him with a scowl. “Look, there hasn’t exactly been a lot of opportunities to use it, alright? I’ve let myself get a little … rusty.”

“Rusty. Great.” Neal sighs heavily, before shifting to lean back against the door. He’s been told that he’s not allowed to coach Peter through anything, he just has to sit and wait.

“I’ll get there, just … give me a minute.” Peter holds out a hand. “Do you have your lock pick tools?”

Neal nods as he fishes them out of his pocket, and as he passes him over. “This is not how I envisioned today going.”

“Need I remind you, you’re the one who was looking for a favor from someone not Dylan,” Peter says as he pulls out the torsion wrench and hook and gets to work. “And that you were the one who selected the Gemini twins to be your benefactor.”

“Yeah, and I thought I could handle it on my own.”

“I’m not the mythology buff that you are, and even I can tell you that a quest given by a pair of immortal twins would not be a solo endeavor.”

“Technically, Pollux is the only immortal one. Castor was born mortal.”

“Yes, but the end of the tale has Pollux using his immortality to place his brother among the stars with them, hence making them both immortal.” There’s a heavy click, and Peter grins as it pops open. He glances back over at Neal, who must have a stupefied expression on his face. “What? I read.”

“I never doubted you.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Peter passes Neal the lock before pushing the door open and leading on to the next challenge. “After you.”

Neal rolls his eyes before turning and moving ahead of him. Whatever comes next, he’s sure he’ll be able to handle it.

* * * * *

Neal might have spoken too soon.

He might have spent their time strolling down the path, talking about how he could easily handle anything Peter’s side of the fence offered. He could flash a badge, make an arrest, grow an impressive mustache—as far as Neal is concerned, he’s got it in the bag. At least, until the door in front of him transitions into one of the more complicated math problems he’s seen in a while.

Peter is amused, and takes up the place Neal had earlier, leaning casually against the door and waiting for him to begin. “C’mon, it’s not that bad. You know math.”

“I know money math. This isn’t money math.” Money math is usually Peter’s strong suit too, but this seems to be some kind of algebra and Neal isn’t prepared to do that kind of math in his head.

“Would you say that for other kinds of math, you’re—what’s the word—rusty?”

Neal shoots him a glare at that one. “I can handle a little math. I just need to get back into the zone of things.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Peter gives him another few minutes before glancing down at the gold band on his wrist. “You know, if you’re really having trouble, we could contact the twins. See if they have a calculator you can borrow.”

“Oh my god, I’m doing it. Shut up.” Neal turns his attention back to the numbers again and takes a deep breath. “Just … break the problem down into smaller pieces, right? Order of operations.”

“Order of operations would be a good place to start, yes.”

Taking a deep breath, Neal slowly works through each of the sections of the math problem until he was down to the last operation on the board. And once he clears that away, replacing it with his definitive answer, and with that, the door cracks open.

“See,” Peter says, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

“I’ll be thrilled never to do complicated math again.”

“Says the guy who can do compound interest in his head without breaking a sweat.”

Neal rolls his eyes, before turning and following Peter into the next phase of the challenge, coming to the end of the road on the adventure. “I guess it could have been worse. If it had been a quiz on the different points of law in the American legal system, we would have been in real trouble.”

Peter snorts, before shaking his head. “I think you know enough to know which laws you’re breaking.”

Neal laughs before nodding as they pass through the door. “Fair enough.” After a pause, he looks over at him. “And thanks, by the way. I know I’m being ridiculous but—”

“You’re being prepared. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

As Peter steps ahead of them to head inside, Neal can’t help but smile. Of course, Peter is the one who gets him. And part of him hopes that he’s the one who always will.