The World Below Is Not So Mean That It Can Make Us Fall (NC-17) Neal/Peter AU

[embroiderama]

Title: The World Below Is Not So Mean That It Can Make Us Fall
Author: embroiderama
Rating: NC-17
Pairing/characters: Peter/Neal
Word count: 20,000
Spoilers: none
Warnings: No major warnings apply however a number of potentially triggery issues are included/discussed. (highlight to read) Child abuse (non sexual), other violence and injury, homophobia, illness and death (not of major characters), and mental health issues
Summary: Peter is injured on the job, and Neal has to overcome some old demons in order to be there for him. Luckily, they both have good friends around to help.

Notes: This was written for H/C Advent, and it's a sequel to my Peter/Neal AU The Heart is Still a Redwing and its timestamps, and may not make a great deal of sense out of context. Peter is a detective, and Neal is not a criminal, but they met when Neal was the victim of a violent crime. The title is from Hem's song "Redwing." Thank you to sahiya for the beta, though I added things afterward so...blame me. Thank you to angelita26 for helping me with Peter's present.

( The Christmas season was a complicated time for Neal in his work at Ellen's Place, a mixture of wonderful and awful with a lot of busy days in between. )