Arkham's Odd Couple

Fathers have been much on my mind recently, and not just because Father's Day will be next weekend. In Time Crystals, Neal's father was Zophar, but Neal didn't realize it. The Meropian was only an occasional visitor to the household. The only family members Neal thought he had were his mother and her father, and both of them were dead by the time the story begins. When Peter and Mozzie enter Neal's life, he quickly latches onto them to fill the void.

I've sometimes wondered why Mozzie and Neal didn't develop a father-son relationship in canon. They have a closeness that could have easily led to Neal looking upon him as a dad, but it never happened. Mozzie was Neal's best friend but he remained a fellow conman and mentor. Penna continued that tradition when in Caffrey Conversation, she had Mozzie confess to Peter that Neal didn't think of him as a father figure.

I assumed the reason Neal never did is because he believes a father is an authority figure. A father may need to be severe at times but he also makes a child feel safe and protected. The criteria don't fit Mozzie, but they're an excellent match for Peter. Does Mozzie ever feel a tinge of envy at Neal's relationship with Peter? I don't think he should. Neal feels every bit as close to him, but it's a different type of relationship.

In Arkham Files, Mozzie has acted much more as a father figure. The process began when Neal was a child. Mozzie met him at a summer astronomy camp when Neal was twelve and began mentoring him. Once he realized the difficulties of Neal's home situation, he provided a safe haven for Neal to go to after school. When Neal was sixteen, Mozzie interceded to become his legal guardian so that Neal could attend Miskatonic University.

When Peter first met Neal, he thought of him as a colleague, albeit a very young one. Since then their relationship has evolved. If you were to ask Neal, he would say that he thinks of both men as being more like big brothers than fathers.

In Time Crystals, the natural paternal instincts of both men rise to the surface when they become responsible for an eight-year-old child. Peter is the worrier half of Arkham's odd couple. Mozzie appears much more relaxed, but that's not to imply he feels less responsible. Mozzie is better able to radiate confidence than Peter initially, but by the end of the story, Peter appears to have learned from his example.

Time Crystals takes place in December but its themes are relevant to Father's Day. If you'd like to read about the holiday in Caffrey Conversation, Neal celebrated Father's Day 2004 in Caffrey Disclosure and again in 2005 in Fireflies at Midnight.

Time Crystals on Archive of Our Own
Time Crystals on FanFiction