whitecollarhc

Title: Aftermath with a monkey
Rating: Gen
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke,
Spoilers: Non
Content Notice: Fear of being fat
Word Count: 1,149-ish
Summary: After Christmas, Neal wakes up in the morning and found out… something very scary about himself!

A/N: I had this story ready-waiting to find the balls-, since Christmas 2013. And I just couldn’t because it scared me so much. A lot of personal fears are placed in this small and not even well-written story. But today I thought: “Eh whatever.” See, I’m healed from my anorexia, and yes I am very proud to say this in the open. But every once and awhile I get similar nightmares like this. I’m still way too thin but I don’t skip on meals anymore. A lot of this is just for laughter. Besides I like to see Neal struggle with his perfection in a light and funny way. Please let me know what you think! Oh and this is un-beta-ed. Mistakes are all mine. Enjoy!

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It was just after Christmas and Neal was supposed to get up at seven. Peter was picking him up at eight. There was a case that needed their expertise stead.

But Neal was feeling a bit… under the weather. Oh but Neal knew exactly what it was. It was that awful after Christmas-bender when he realized of how much he had spent the days with just eating and drinking and now he felt sick. Words from yesterday evening kept swirling in his head.

“Be careful Neal. Once you say yes to this chocolate cake, your crawling through those small spaces days will be over in no time.”

He stayed in bed for five more minutes, debating which suit would still be fitting if he had indeed increased a little bit of weight. What if he looked fat in his favorite pants? Yeah he knew he was such a girl sometimes. Then he spent another minute in bed mustering the guts to actual feel his stomach aria. And it wAS SOFT! Oh God! He shot up from the bed anxiously and looked around like crazy, desperately seeking for something that would knock him out completely so that he could sleep all this… this FAT away. Yeah! A good long coma would do. SURE! He had heard some crazy stories about fat people going in some sort of accidents and wake up a month later; looking really skinny again!

Although, he had learned not to take all of Mozzie’s stories that serious. So he decided just to take a quick run, not eat at all and starting right now to look for a black suit. A black anything. Damn Byron! Why did you have to be that thin! No! First a shower! His sweat smelled like mayonnaise.

“Oh God, oh God. Everyone is going to make fun of me now!” Neal looked anxiously at his frame inside the mirror. The tighter-than-normal pajama pants looked well... tight! De rim from his waistband left an angry red line on his soft skin. But that wasn’t all. Oh no! A zit was forming on his right cheek to make it even worse.

Then he knew. Growling like an angry wolf as he thought back about last evening.

“Chocolate cakes. Mrs. Burke,” Neal mumbled. “She finally did it.”

In the shower Neal couldn’t stop squeezing his belly while looking scared. When he stumbled over a shoe he lazily had kicked out yesterday, Neal could’ve sworn he felt his whole body wobble. Wobble!

Hastily he ran towards his closed and started with a few of his favorite suit pants. He squeezed his butt into it and tried to zip up a few of them. But one by one… they didn’t fully zip up anymore! A pile of clothes grew in the right corner of the closet until Neal almost welt up in tears. There was nothing that fitted anymore. Only his jeans, he refused to wear for over a year. Because it was too big on him. Too big!!!

Now he really felt like a whale!

Then the doorbell rang downstairs. Peter was already here! NO!nonononononononono!

Anxiously Neal looked at his watch! Damn! He had taken far too long to find something that fitted! Being fat sucks!

So he took the Jeans. There wasn’t even a option left now. He just grabbed a black buttoned shirt with it. Casual look is acceptable during the holydays, right? Right???

Then the knock came. ‘No,’ Neal thought.

Peter was already at the door! Oh my Word!

“Just a minute!” But Peter hadn’t heard him and just flew the door open, dressed in a jeans and shirt as well. Neal was still busy fastening up the buttons but noticed it had gotten a bit difficult how lower he got. His fat belly. But not just his belly. His sides were hit hard as well.

He hates Christmas forever now!

Peter stared at him for a moment. Neal waited painfully for his outcome. As Peter’s eyes went up and down, scanning him over. Then his handler’s mouth fell open.

“Wow. Neal? Who is your new friend?”
“Very funny, Peter! I know I have gotten fat. It’s your evil wife’s fault! I know about her plans, Peter! She is trying to fatten me up all those years. Just like the dog. And now THIS is finally happening.” Neal pointed at his belly, feeling so ashamed of himself.

But Peter only fluttered his eyes; confused about Neal’s chosen words. As if he didn’t understand where he was talking about; the moron! He must be blind!

How could he not understand where he was talking about? His fatness was hard to miss.

Then the room started to brighten a bit, as if the sun was breaking through the clouds. Smell turned different.

An odd feeling was coming over Neal. What was happening? Was this all even real?

Neal was starting to think he was dreaming right now, as he fluttered his eyes. The furniture shifted on its own. Meanwhile Peter was still there. Shaking his head like he finally discovered Neal Caffrey was actually nuts.

“Ehh.. No, Neal… I meant who is that monkey around your waist? I didn’t even know you were into animal adoption? And Monkey’s above all pets? It’s weird.” Neal was flabbergasted. Then he looked down at his feet, but he didn’t even caught a glimpse of his toes.

“A monkey?”

“Yeah. It’s odd, you like those kind. I always figured you for a cat person. But enough of this. We are already late. You look fine, Neal. Stop being such a girl! Let’s go!”

Neal still look stunned at his stomach aria and now finally saw the little baby monkey clinging onto his middle while snuggling against his belly. The animal even made little squeaking noises as well.

“Woahhhh! Where the hell did DAT come from!” Neal yelped as the reality hit him. The monkey was wet, so he had taken him into the shower with him. Pressed him into several trousers and pulled this shirt on him. Poor thing! Slowly the monkey opened his eyes and looked lazily up at his boss. He opened his mouth to yawn and then…

“Beep. Beep. Beep!”

Boom. Blackness. Dream gone. Noise there!

Neal jumped up from his matrass, sweating and gasping from this weird dream. Within seconds he jumped out of bed while kicking the alarm, tripping over his shoes. And looked in the mirror. A flat toned belly was showing. He wasn’t fat. It was just a nightmare. A freaking nightmare.

With a sigh of relieve Neal dropped onto his couch and stroked his wet dark hair.

“Pffew… I never going to forget this when I’m invited at the Burkes for dinner, am I?” For a second Neal just sat there. Laughing and rubbing the last of the sleep out of his eyes.

He did like cat’s though…

END