Happily Ever After AU - for conning

[abrightboy]

From here

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[conning]

"Absolutely," Neal says, in answer to that second statement. He eats his own breakfast, or starts to, but the mention of his father dulls his appetite a little.

"I don't know," he says quietly. "I want it to be, but I also don't want it to be. I can't sort it out."

[abrightboy]

“It’s not easy,” Malcolm concedes. “I understand.”

He leaves that door open, if Neal wants to try to reason it out.

[conning]

"I want to catch whoever hurt Ellen," he murmurs. Neal pokes at the food on his plate, trying to summon up the desire to eat it. "Whoever. Killed her. I want to catch who did it, and I want them to pay."

That's absolutely true.

But.

"I don't know if I want him helping. I don't know if I want it to be done so he'll leave, or if I'm afraid he will. I don't... know what I want from him."

[abrightboy]

"You don't really know who he is," Malcolm points out gently. "You can't know what you want from him without finding that out."

[conning]

Neal growls and stabs a pancake with more force than necessary. "I feel like I should. I want to be able to read him."

[abrightboy]

“You’ll need to spend time with him to get a read on him. And you’ll have to be careful with that. He could suck you in and we don’t know that his intentions are good,” Malcolm tells him.

[conning]

Neal nods miserably, finally putting his fork down. He leans Malcolm's way to give him a kiss. "Having you there will help."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm gives him a small smile he hopes is reassuring.

"Where are we meeting him?"

[conning]

"A warehouse near the docks in the fish market," Neal says. He is not precisely thrilled. "Sketchy is as sketchy does, I suppose."

[abrightboy]

“Then we definitely need to be careful. In case he has accomplices.”

Malcolm takes a bite of eggs, almost like he can encourage Neal to do the same.

[conning]

It works, ironically enough.

They get out of their cab near the public fish market, in a spot that seems like they’re just planning to shop. Neal walks with casual confidence, even after they’re out of the more populated areas and into warehouses that have stood empty since quarantine.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm is a little more of a sore thumb, looking up at the warehouses like he’s never seen one and dressed like of course he hasn’t. When they reach the one they’re supposed to meet James at, he looks at Neal.

[conning]

Neal looks up at the building, then at Malcolm, his instincts taut for no reason he can discern yet. "Stay close," he murmurs.

Inside it's quiet. Mostly quiet. Quiet enough for muffled voices from upstairs to carry. Not the words, but the tones are clear enough. One of them, Neal can identify as James, sharp and accusatory. The other voice is unfamiliar. Seemingly masculine. There's a smile in their tone. Smugness.

Neal tenses, hurrying for the stairs but keeping as quiet as possible at the same time.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm stays close to Neal's elbow, as instructed, though less because of the instruction and more out of concern for Neal's well being. He grabs Neal's arm as they near the top of the stairs, urging him to pause and listen for a moment.

[conning]

"--get away with it," James says.

Neal looks at Malcolm, stopping reluctantly out of sight.

"Already have, man." Young. Definitely male. Definitely smug. There's a distinctly New York accent to the voice. "You can't touch me and you know it. Now what are you doing here? Really doing here?"

Neal tenses. Nothing about this sounds good.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm is watching Neal's face.

"Do you recognize the voice?" he whispers.

[conning]

Neal shakes his head in the negative. He inches closer, acutely aware of every step and motion and the possibility for it to give him away. He wants to see who's there. He wants a glimpse, just that much.

"It's none of your business," James growls.

There's the meaty sound of a fist hitting muscle, and James gasps. Neal's eyes go wide. He jerks forward, clearly intending to run out and see what's going on.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm grabs him and yanks him back.

"Why did he ask you to meet him here if he was confronting someone else here?" he hisses. "He wanted you to see this."

[conning]

Neal looks at Malcolm uncertainly, coiled-spring tense. It makes sense, unless James wasn't expecting whoever this was. Unless he's been ambushed, too.

Another thud, a wheeze, a scuffle. A louder bang as someone hits the ground. Neal jerks away from Malcolm and bolts for the room the sounds are coming from.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm stays back. If Neal runs into danger, the only ace they'll have is if nobody knows Malcolm is there.

[conning]

Neal has never been very good at thinking with his head when his heart is involved.

He skids into the open and it's James on the ground, the stranger Neal's own age punching him in the ribs, face.

"Hey!" Neal shouts, and charges, without goal or plan beyond 'make the guy stop.'

Which means he ends up on the ground, tussling with the stranger, trying to keep the upper hand with someone who's more muscular than him and more used to fighting. Neal sees stars as the stranger clocks him, hitting the nearly-gone bruise on his face where Rhonda elbowed him in the asylum basement.

[abrightboy]

That’s what he was afraid would happen. The man has his back to the door while straddling Neal. Malcolm creeps in, picks up a chair, and clobbers the man over the head with it.

[conning]

The guy goes down, briefly, before he's staggering to his feet and just straight-up running for it.

Neal is too dazed to pursue.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm bolts after him, jumping over the railing from halfway down the stairs to tackle him.

[conning]

They go down in a tumble. Neal rolls onto his sized, still dizzy, trying to put together what just happened--

And then he hears gunshots from where Malcolm and the stranger disappeared. Emotion takes over again and he runs for the stairs.