AN at the bottom.
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Elliot jerks his head up, startled; that's the third time he's started to nod-off while on watch. He rubs his eyes as he looks past the dying campfire at two of his favourite people in the world. Hardison has fallen asleep resting against a pine tree's twisted roots, golden pine needles sprinkled over his body from above. The branch Parker clambered up to and dozed off in is the cause of the loose needles; she's content to sleep amongst the pine needles and tree sap and Elliot's happy to leave her there for now.
It's a little hard to see them in the dark, but Elliot doesn't mind - he knows where they are and exactly how many seconds it will take him to leap over the fire and between them and any enemy. He pokes the fire and enjoys the orange sparks floating into the night sky. The embers dance and twirl, slowing fading into the darkness around the twinkling stars. The blond male can feel his chin tapping against his chest again and he lifts his head wearily only to startle at the low husky voice in the quiet night air.
"Hey, Elliot? You need to sleep. I'll take over watch for a few hours, man." Hardison half-whispers, aware of the sleeping thief above him. For once, the tech-loving hacker is content to enjoy the gentle hooting of owls and other nocturnal predators of the night in the safety of their little camp.
Elliot hesitates, but Hardison only sits up and wiggles closer to the fire, positioning a cracked log like a seat back. He points silently at Elliot's still rolled sleeping bag in the empty tent behind him. Huffing, Elliot relinquishes his duty and stands, joints clicking in a stretch before he bends down and snatches up the fleece bag. He watches Elliot silently pad over, kick off his boots and crawl into the bag, wriggling close to the dark male. He shifts around, eventually settling with his head nestled in Hardison's lap.
Wrapping an arm around his teammate and partner, Hardison smiles when the sleepy man sighs contentedly. Turning away from the heart-warming sight, Hardison looks into the fire for a full minute; the dying flames give off a orange glow.
Which is washed away by a bright blue, a high-tech phone pulled from a jacket pocket as Hardison opens up a game app to while away the hours.
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AN: I read a prompt about sleepy intimacy and thus this little one was written.
I was thinking of The Gone Fishin Job (S03E07) before i wrote this but it is set closer to season 4
If you liked this, please review and tell me what you thought :)