( A.N. Hello my fellow fanfiction fanatics. This is my first story for Leverage, so I hope you like it.)
Eliot's Barrier
If there was one thing Eliot knew, it was to never let his guard down. Even with his team, he wasn't safe. When he'd found that out, his mask had gone up, thicker then ever. But as he looked at each team member, he realized something. One hadn't betrayed his trust like the others. What had made him start pulling his mask back up around his team, was the fact that someone had slipped him a sleeping drug after an assignment gone wrong and he'd wound up getting stabbed.
He didn't like taking medication because it slowed his reflexes. The team knew this though and kept slipping him medication without his knowledge. He hated it and started fearing for his own safety around the team. When he had medication in his system, he distantly heard the others snoop around his room. His body grew accustomed to the constant input of medication and he was able to hear little things.
Thus, it was why he'd laid in shock when Alec came in and murmured, " They shouldn't do this to you, it's wrong. They know you hate being sluggish." It had scared Eliot, thinking his mask had came crumbling down. Fear was an emotion Eliot was used to, but terror? That was another story entirely. Currently, Eliot was laid in bed, under yet another, drug induced stupor. All he wanted to do was run, but in his shape, he'd probably wind up getting hit by a truck or something.
Suddenly he heard a click. It was small, not usually a cause for concern. But then again, normal people didn't live in constant fear like he did. He threw himself over the side of the bed and hit the floor on his side. The pain was there, but his landing had been nearly silent. He waited, scared out of his mind for one of the members of the team to come in. The knob turned and someone walked in, fallowed by another click. Eliot had installed a security system that boggled the minds of every member on the team. They hated that they couldn't get into his room whenever they wanted and he'd played it down to being careful and not because he didn't trust them.
" Eliot? It's me." said Alec. Eliot didn't move from his fetal position and his breathing turned quieter. Alec's shoes suddenly came into his line of vision and he laid there. Alec crouched down, but didn't try and get closer. " You OK?" asked Alec. " No, what do you want?" asked Eliot. " I wanted to make sure you were OK. They gave you Morphine." said Alec. " Well I'm not, now get out." snapped Eliot. When he muttered, Alec's eyes softened. " I'm not here to use you. I'm here for you." said Alec. Eliot did not want to have this conversation right now. Morphine was one of the medications he hated because it made him raw. Anything, from someone telling him he was funny to someone telling him he was ugly, effected him. He also hated that Morphine was what they gave him the most.
" Why are you lying to me? What do you want from me?" asked Eliot. He started to shake and Alec didn't move. It wasn't out of a lack of compassion, it was because Alec knew Eliot hated when people around him moved too fast. He couldn't track their movements and that scared him. " I want nothing from you." said Alec. Eliot's face was suddenly like a scared child's as he looked at Alec. " Your lying." accused Eliot. " No, I just want to make sure your OK." said Alec. Eliot curled up further as the tears finally came streaming down his cheeks. He absolutely hated being vulnerable and that's what he was on medication.
Alec moved, slowly inching his way across the room and stopped by Eliot. He laid down in his side and wrapped his arms around Eliot loosely, wanting Eliot to know he wasn't going to trap him. " Why do they keep doing this to me? What did I do wrong?" asked Eliot. " Nothing, absolutely nothing." said Alec. " This is their fault." Eliot cried harder and Alec's hand was gentle as a lamb's nose on his back.