Timing Is Everything (The Good Wife, m)

[blueberrymuffin]

Title: Timing Is Everything

Fandom: The Good Wife

Disclaimer: Not mine, I make no money off of this.

Summary: Peter's getting over a cold. Eli is... distracted.

Authors Notes: Long time lurker, first time poster. So of course I pick a really popular fandom to start with, right? Trust me, it's the best show you're not watching.

Eli is reading through his emails the first time it happens. It’s quiet, a muffled "Hssch!" followed by two more forceful sneezes, less covered, and finally a desperate sounding, "Hah-chuh!" Eli stops typing. That was... Well, that was...

“What was that?” he calls after a second.

“God bless you, Peter,” Peter’s voice floats back through the open door. The sarcasm is discernible even through the congestion. “Thank you, Eli,” he continues, and Eli rolls his eyes. He gets up, crossing his office to stand in Peter’s doorway, arms folded across his chest. Peter is leaning over the end table that holds a box of Kleenex, and Eli watches as he plucks one out of the box, bringing it up to blow his nose.

Eli swallows. “Yes,” he finds his voice, keeping it at its usual level of testiness by force of will. “Gesundheit, salud, whatever. I thought you were done being sick.”

Peter drops the tissue into the trash and clears his throat. “I am,” he says, sounding normal. “I feel fine. Just still sneezing sometimes.”

Eli watches him critically as he returns to his desk, but he does seem to be over it. Eli isn’t sure whether he’s relieved or disappointed. “You have the round of news interviews tonight,” he reminds Peter.

“And the education board at three,” Peter agrees amiably. “I’m good.”

Eli goes back to his office.

Eli has enough trouble dealing with the exploits Peter has gotten himself into over the years. It is in no way worth the hassle to even consider involving himself in Peter’s sex life, but that doesn’t mean Eli doesn’t have the occasional fantasies. And if now he has some extra fodder for those fantasies due to Peter’s lingering cold, then that’s a bonus, but there’s a line on it becoming too distracting for him to remain professional. Not the mention he doesn’t actually want the governor-elect looking sick on the five o’clock news, no matter what pleasure Eli may derive from it personally. So Eli goes back to work, tucking away the sounds of Peter sneezing for later, private use.

He’s getting updates from the volunteer coordinators a few hours later when the background murmur of Peter’s voice from his meeting next door breaks off suddenly to the sound of two loud sneezes, only partially muffled by the closed door. Eli tenses, ears straining. Peter’s voice picks up again, only to halt a few sentences later to allow for another two sneezes and, after a tantalizing pause, a third. Each sneeze is a little louder, a little less stifled than the one before it.

Eli has stopped paying any attention to the volunteer people at all. He racks his brain, trying to come up with some reason to interrupt Peter’s meeting, some excuse to see Peter's face go slack with anticipation, as he knows it must in the moment just before the sneeze. He can't hear it through the door, but his imagination details the quiet, breathy struggle of build-up before each sneeze takes him, and Eli desperately wants to hear them in person. Professionalism be damned.

Peter sneezes yet again, and Eli hears a chorus of voices exclaiming, “Bless you!” from the next room. He crosses his legs, fingers drumming on the arm of his chair. As soon as the coordinators leave.

But the meeting goes on for ten more minutes, and there are no more distractions from Peter's office. When his meeting finally clears out, Eli pauses by the door that adjoins Peter’s office. From the sound of it, Peter’s meeting is done too. Eli knocks once, and sticks his head through the door. Peter looks up.

“Meeting okay?” Eli asks.

“Sure,” Peter answers, frowning slightly. “Just some State’s Attorney business. How’s the volunteer brigade?”

Eli makes a face. “Fine.” He thinks, anyway. He wasn’t really paying attention for half of the meeting, after all.

“Good.” Peter gestures to his desk. "I was going to start on my call sheet. Unless you have something more impotant?" he asks hopefully.

"God, no," Eli says. He was supposed to have the calls done a week ago. "Please make your damn calls." He turns to go, but leaves the door open behind him.

An hour later, it happens again. "Hep-ch! Hep-ch! Hehh-chh!" Three sneezes in quick succession, each slightly stifled at the end, as if into a tissue. This time Eli doesn’t wait for an excuse, but bounds over to the door, pausing only just on the near side so that he can pretend to lean casually into Peter’s office.

Peter is blowing his nose again. He sniffs once, at the end, and then looks up. “Hey, glad you’re there.” That’s good, because Eli has no idea why he should be standing in Peter’s door just now. He watches Peter’s face carefully for any sign of further nasal irritation, but Peter continues as if his nose isn’t troubling him at all.

“Do we have a draft of the police union speech yet?”

“Um, no,” Eli answers. Seriously? Nothing? “Later this afternoon, maybe.”

“Okay,” Peter says agreeably, flipping through a folder. “Let me see it as soon as we have something.”

“Sure,” Eli says, hovering for another moment. He can't be this unlucky.

Peter looks up. “Did you need anything?”

“No,” Eli says, and goes back to his desk. Maybe it's a sign. He should just focus on work. This is getting ridiculous.

Later that afternoon, they’re going over the financials from the election. They've been working for almost an hour, and Eli has almost—almost—forgotten about the earlier distractions.

He hands Peter another set of reports. "And these are from McLean County."

“Okay,” Peter says. “But I don’t—“ his breath hitches, and he rubs his nose with irritation before continuing. Eli stares. "I don’t see how this gets us to our—“ he stops again, sniffing helplessly. “Dammit,” he gasps, and sneezes twice in quick succession. "Eh hrssch! Eh chssch!" He leans to the side, bending at the waist with each sneeze, pressing his nose into the back of his wrist. Eli can't even think. He just watches, enrapt. Peter struggles for a moment with a third sneeze, scrubbing at his nose and breathing shakily before he loses the battle. "Ehh... heh-ih... ih! Ischoo!" He holds his wrist to his nose, sniffling, eyes closed as if waiting for a possible fourth. He even draws in one more tiny gasp, "ihh..." but then the moment passes, and he lets the breath out with a shaky laugh, opening his eyes. Eli looks anywhere but at Peter.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "Still sneezing."

"Yeah," Eli says, throat dry. "I noticed."

[tma]

“Okay,” Peter says. “But I don’t—“ his breath hitches, and he rubs his nose with irritation before continuing. Eli stares. "I don’t see how this gets us to our—“ he stops again, sniffing helplessly. “Dammit,” he gasps, and sneezes twice in quick succession. "Eh hrssch! Eh chssch!" He leans to the side, bending at the waist with each sneeze, pressing his nose into the back of his wrist. Eli can't even think. He just watches, enrapt. Peter struggles for a moment with a third sneeze, scrubbing at his nose and breathing shakily before he loses the battle. "Ehh... heh-ih... ih! Ischoo!" He holds his wrist to his nose, sniffling, eyes closed as if waiting for a possible fourth. He even draws in one more tiny gasp, "ihh..." but then the moment passes, and he lets the breath out with a shaky laugh, opening his eyes. Eli looks anywhere but at Peter.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "Still sneezing."

"Yeah," Eli says, throat dry. "I noticed."

That was brilliant!!

I don't know the series, but I've heard of it and it seems like it might possibly have a similar feel to it as Sports Night and/or Newsroom - so.. I may have look for it.

I really enjoyed reading this though.

Oh... and welcome to the forum!

[Dye]

Welcome to the forum! You're a fantastic writer, I don't know the show personally and I still enjoyed it thoroughly. <3

[Bruyere]

The Good Wife fic? Yes please! I've always wanted fic for this show but have never been able to write it so this was a lovely surprise.

Trust me, it's the best show you're not watching.

I keep telling people this! S5 has been amazing so far.

“What was that?” he calls after a second.

“God bless you, Peter,” Peter’s voice floats back through the open door. The sarcasm is discernible even through the congestion. “Thank you, Eli,” he continues, and Eli rolls his eyes.

...

Eli swallows. “Yes,” he finds his voice, keeping it at its usual level of testiness by force of will. “Gesundheit, salud, whatever. I thought you were done being sick.

Ha! I love how you write the two of them and their slightly squabble-y and sarcastic relationship.

Eli has enough trouble dealing with the exploits Peter has gotten himself into over the years. It is in no way worth the hassle to even consider involving himself in Peter’s sex life, but that doesn’t mean Eli doesn’t have the occasional fantasies.And if now he has some extra fodder for those fantasies due to Peter’s lingering cold, then that’s a bonus, but there’s a line on it becoming too distracting for him to remain professional. Not the mention he doesn’t actually want the governor-elect looking sick on the five o’clock news, no matter what pleasure Eli may derive from it personally.

Poor Eli, especially with the recent grey hairs he must have got from Marilyn and Peter. And I like that professionalism ultimately wins the day for him and how Peter will appear is more important than anything else.

“Okay,” Peter says. “But I don’t—“ his breath hitches, and he rubs his nose with irritation before continuing. Eli stares. "I don’t see how this gets us to our—“ he stops again, sniffing helplessly. “Dammit,” he gasps, and sneezes twice in quick succession. "Eh hrssch! Eh chssch!" He leans to the side, bending at the waist with each sneeze, pressing his nose into the back of his wrist. Eli can't even think. He just watches, enrapt. Peter struggles for a moment with a third sneeze, scrubbing at his nose and breathing shakily before he loses the battle. "Ehh... heh-ih... ih! Ischoo!" He holds his wrist to his nose, sniffling, eyes closed as if waiting for a possible fourth. He even draws in one more tiny gasp, "ihh..." but then the moment passes, and he lets the breath out with a shaky laugh, opening his eyes. Eli looks anywhere but at Peter.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "Still sneezing."

"Yeah," Eli says, throat dry. "I noticed."

Perfect. I love your sneezes for Peter and Eli being one of us is great.

I hope you write in this fandom again! *crosses fingers*

[blueberrymuffin]

Thanks, guys! The comments are much appreciated.

I've always wanted fic for this show but have never been able to write it so this was a lovely surprise.

I'm so glad you found this, then! I was fairly sure no one would recognize this fandom, but I've been crazy about TGW lately, and slowly cycling through loving a different character every week. This was written as I was transitioning from Peter to Eli, and it just seemed like a thing that needed to happen.

[Xds9075]

Fantastic story!!! Thank you!!