A Little Downtime
Written for the prompt : Leverage, Eliot/Hardison, camping
Fandom : Leverage
Characters : Hardison /and Eliot
Rating : PG-13
Word Count : 1804
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary : Eliot takes Hardison out of town for some downtime.
A Little Downtime
"Are you ready?" Eliot demanded from the kitchen where he was packing things into another bag. Hardison looked at the empty bag in front of him and the large pile of clothes and equipment laid out on the bed in front of him wondering how he was going to get even half of it to fit. He sighed, took a step closer and began to sort through the clothing pile again and work out what he really wanted to take with him. He forgot all about Eliot waiting for an answer.
He looked up when Eliot spoke again, from the doorway this time, "Man, I asked if you were ready?" As Hardison moved, Eliot's eyes widened at the pile of clothing, the bag and all of the technical equipment laid out waiting. "Hardison? What's all that for?"
Hardison shrugged, pulling a slightly guilty expression before looking away again and picking up another t-shirt.
"Hardison," there was an edge to Eliot's voice now. Not a good sign at all. Hardison stepped back from the bed, running a hand over his face in defeat. "Where's your backpack?"
"In the bottom of the closet. It wasn't big enough," Hardison admitted.
Eliot stalked into the room and over to the closet, pulling out the backpack that he'd bought for Hardison two days earlier and bringing it back to the bed. He rummaged through the pile of clothing on the bed, glanced back over his shoulders at what Hardison was wearing, then pulled out some underwear, a couple of t-shirts and stuffed them into the bag. He pushed the other things around on the bed until he'd located some socks and a wash kit.
"Do you listen to anything I tell you?" he grumbled as he continued rifling through the pile on the bed. It took him a matter of moments to finish packing, pull the drawstring on the top of the bag and then flip the cover over and fasten the clips before throwing the bag at Hardison and saying, "Come on and put the damned boots on!"
"Geez, Eliot! I can't manage with just that . . . and you haven't put my . . . "
Eliot stopped, turning to cast a warning glare at Hardison, "Your what . . ." The threat in the words wasn't concealed.
"Lllaptop?" Hardison squeaked.
"Your laptop," Eliot nodded as if he'd expected that as the answer. He cocked his head to one side, held up a hand and pointed to the first finger and said, "You really want to carry it on horseback?" He moved across to the second finger, "You honestly think we're going to get wi-fi where we're going?" Shifted again to point at the third, "How much charge are you gonna find out there? Tell me 'cause I'd love to hear it . . ." There was a pause before he shifted to point at the fourth finger, "This is supposed to be iour/i weekend, Hardison . . . What's in it for me, if you spend all weekend on your laptop playing World of Weirdos or whatever it is? Do I need a number five?"
There was a flash of guilt across Hardison's face before he shook his head to say no, slung his pack onto his back and moved across to sling his arm over Eliot's shoulder and lean in for a kiss, "No, sorry." He gave a gentle push to Eliot's back, guided the man out of the room, before casting one slightly longing look over his shoulder at the pile left on the bed and following him.
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Hardison stood back nervously as Eliot confidently saddled up the two horses and fitted the stuff he'd brought with them into the saddlebags. He watched anxiously, wondering why he'd ever agreed to this.
Eliot turned round as he finished tightening the last strap into place and Hardison saw the look of content relaxation on his face and was reminded that that wasi exactly/i why he'd agreed to do this. He might be able to relax with a couple of days downtime spent meandering round the internet or playing WoW but that wasn't going to cut it for Eliot. After everything that had gone down over the last few jobs, Eliot needed this, time away from the stresses and strains of modern life. Hardison didn't get it as such, but he did kind of understand that this was Eliot's WoW.
He bit his lip and moved closer to the horse that Eliot had said would be his, grateful when Eliot guided his hands to where they needed to be and then offered his own hands as a step to hoist him up. He wasn't any less nervous once he was in the saddle, watched enviously as Eliot swung himself up with ease on to the other horse and then guided his horse across. Leaning out of his saddle, Eliot plucked the reins from where they dangled by Hardison's feet and held them out, then leant over again and picked up a lead rope.
"Set?" Eliot asked gently, looking back at Hardison and seeing the nervousness clearly in his features. "Just hold on tight with your legs and trust the horse," he said as if it really were that simple. Hardison swallowed anxiously, nodded, tightened his grip as Eliot kicked his own horse into movement and Hardison's began to follow.
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It was an easy going trail . . . apparently . Hardison had nothing to compare it with and although he was slightly more at ease than when they started, he had no idea of what it was he could really expect. Eliot had kept the pace to a gentle trot, both horses following his guidance without difficulty, for which Hardison was very grateful given that he had no idea how to pilot a horse reliably and he had no desire to crash or be bucked off any time soon. He'd seen enough rodeos in movies to know how much a horse could buck and he had no wish to test it out for himself.
When Eliot finally drew them to a stop, Hardison looked round. They were on the edge of the woodland and there was a fairly large tent, or at least not as small as Hardison had been expecting. Not that he'd been expecting the tent to be there already, he figured Eliot would probably have them both putting it up, unless . . . maybe it was someone else's tent. Hardison gave up trying to work it out. Instead at Eliot's prompting, he attempted to slide gracefully off the horse. Tried . . . it didn't work that way by the time, he'd left one boot hooked in its stirrup so he couldn't get his balance as he tried to pull it out. The numb stiffness he'd felt in his back and backside hadn't helped him any either, but Eliot was a warm presence at his back, keeping him more or less upright, until he was free, vertical and just about stable.
He took a few paces to try and stretch out the aches and relieved the stiffness, grateful when Eliot told him to keep walking and stretching for a while as he fixed the horses up with water and food.
When he returned, the saddlebags were empty and Eliot was inside the tent. He moved across and lifted the flap, taking the opportunity to admire the compact figure bending over and arranging their few belongings . Eliot looked back over his shoulder and said, "I'll be out in a few, this won't take long."
Hardison stepped back, taking the opportunity to survey his surroundings more closely. There was a fire pit not far from the tent, a few flat-topped rocks spread round it that would stand in the place of seats. He crossed and sat down, finally trying to relax and take in the quiet of his surroundings. It wasn't long before Eliot was behind him, massaging out his shoulders, taking away the stress of too many hours spent in front of a computer screen. He sighed, letting out a quiet moan as he felt the kinks disperse. He wasn't overly surprised when he felt a soft press to the top of his head as if Eliot had bent down to kiss him. It wasn't any real surprise To Alec; alone and free from the rules he placed on himself in public, Eliot was tender and affectionate, caring and Alec had grown to relish every moment of it.
Eliot let his hands drop from Alec's shoulders, his voice a quiet murmur as he asked if Alec were warm enough or did he want the fire lighting, was he hungry. Alec looked at the sky, saw the first hint of the color that came with the sun dropping in the sky. Eliot had clearly noted where his eyes had travelled and before a word could pass his lips, Alec watched as Eliot began to build a fire in the pit before moving away to collect more wood to burn for later.
It didn't take Eliot long, like it was all some kind of second nature, something so familiar that he reveled in the routine, tensions slipping away as he worked. It didn't take long for Alec to smell food cooking, some kind of warm and succulent stew that he could almost taste already.
Although he'd collected plenty of wood, Eliot let the fire burn down lower after they'd finished eating. He settled himself on the floor between Alec's legs, leaning back so his head rested on Alec's stomach. He began to point out stars in a soft tone that had Alec entranced.
The rest of the evening flew by and it felt like no time before Eliot started to pull him up to standing, talking of bed and sleep and getting ready.
Hardison followed Eliot's lead on the preparations before clambering through the tent flap and waiting again. Eliot was mere moments behind him, shedding clothes and pulling back the top sleeping bag. Alec noticed how the two sleeping bags had been set out; not one beside the other as he'd expected but open with one as a top cover and the other as a base.
Eliot was soon maneuverng him into place. The two of them snug under the warm weight of the covers, they began to trade lazy kisses.
Alec figured if this was camping, it was so much better than anything he'd ever imagined. If this was camping, then Eliot could convince him to let things go wrong in future and then suggest another trip just as soon as they made it out. Feeling and seeing as the tension slipped away from Eliot. It all just added together to make Alec love him even more.