TITLE: Favorite Things
AUTHOR: Electric Light Shadowboxer
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: Slash
PAIRING: Nate/Eliot
DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor am I associated with Leverage. No copyright infringement intended. This little piece of insanity was written for fun, not profit. I make no money. Literally.
SUMMARY: A short little piece for Dante_s_hell who wanted Valentine's Day schmoop.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a short little piece of pure schmoop. Well, maybe a little h/c as well. Not usually what I do. This was written quick and dirty. All mistakes are mine. Hope you guys enjoy.
Nate lay on his side and watched the easy rise and fall of Eliot's chest. It was something he rarely got the chance to do. Eliot wasn't one to sit around and relax. He had to be doing something, always animated, and since he slept so little Nathan didn't usually get to watch him. But the medicine had knocked Eliot out and he'd slept all night under Nathan's watchful gaze.
He took his eyes off his lover for a moment and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was after six and would be light outside by now. The bedroom remained dark thanks to the special order drapes they'd bought to block out the sunlight.
Bringing his eyes back to his lover, Nathan lightly ran a hand through the soft curls of Eliot's chestnut hair. He wondered if Eliot knew what today was.
This was Nathan's first Valentine's Day with someone since his marriage had ended and he wasn't sure how to approach it. Eliot wasn't really the romantic type. He couldn't see sending him flowers or chocolates. He'd briefly thought about maybe booking a weekend getaway. But he had a flash of heart shaped tubs and champagne flutes quickly banished that idea. It was all just so clichéd and tacky.
And then Eliot had gotten hurt, a couple busted ribs and a bruised kidney. So it didn't look like wondering what he should do would be a problem. They certainly wouldn't be going anywhere.
Nathan resisted the urge to drop a kiss on Eliot and slid quietly out of bed. It wasn't often he got to take care of Eliot. Usually it was the other way around. He pulled on a tee shirt and pair of sweat pants and padded down stairs. He wasn't the cook that Eliot was, but he could cook well enough to whip up some breakfast.
The English muffins were toasted and Nathan was spreading raspberry preserves on them when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and let out an exasperated breath. Setting the muffin down on the plate, he turned and made his way to the bottom of the stairs. "Eliot, I know you're not naïve on the concept of bed rest."
Eliot snorted through a wince as he eased himself down the last couple of stairs. "I ain't about to lie in bed all day. You can forget it." He pushed past Nathan and started toward the living room. "I can rest just as easily on the couch as I can in the bed."
Nathan scowled, but turned back to the kitchen to finish preparing Eliot's breakfast. He brought it into the living room and handed the plate to Eliot and sat a glass of water down on the table. "You keep moving around and you're going to make it worse."
Eliot scowled at the water. He wanted a cup of coffee, but knew that it wouldn't be allowed. Not with a bruised kidney. He poked at the scrambled eggs with his fork before spearing one of the yellow globs and putting it in his mouth.
Nathan eased down on the couch next to him and sipped at his own coffee before opening the paper to the crime section and scanning the contents.
He heard Eliot sigh beside him and looked over to see him set his plate down next to the glass of water. He scowled and sat forward. "What's wrong? Did I get the eggs too salty?"
Eliot rubbed at his face and tried to relax through the screaming of his ribs and back. "No. I'm just not very hungry."
Nathan studied him a moment. Eliot was pale; his usual tanned skin and red cheeks looking ashen. Nathan stood up off the couch and ran upstairs. He grabbed a couple of pillows and the comforter off the bed before coming back down.
Eliot looked up as Nathan approached him and scowled. "What are you doing?"
"Here, scoot forward." Nathan pushed the pillows between Eliot and the arm of the couch before grabbing his legs. "Here, lift your legs. Easy."
He helped get Eliot situated on the couch and placed the cover over him.
"Are you done?" Eliot was scowling, but hadn't fought the other man on the repositioning. He just wasn't feeling up to it.
Nathan grabbed the painkillers out of the kitchen cabinet and brought them to the living room. He sat down on the coffee table and poured out two pills before handing them and the water to Eliot. "How much blood was in your urine this morning?"
Eliot sighed and took only one of the pills, ignoring Nathan's glare. He didn't want to be knocked out. One would suffice to dull the pain to more tolerable levels. "About the same as last night. It's fine."
Nathan thought about arguing, but really didn't want to antagonize Eliot. He wanted him to stay nice and calm and relaxed. "Ok. Just lie back and rest a little. Here drink some more water." He handed the glass back to Eliot. "Want something to read?"
Eliot rolled his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but ended up wincing as his ribs flared. "Nate, quit hovering. I'm fine. If I need something I'll let you know."
Nathan held his hands up in surrender and stood. "Okay. Fine." He grabbed the plate off of the table and walked toward the kitchen. "Do you want something else to eat?"
"Nate!" Eliot winced as he turned and looked over the back of the couch.
"Stop twisting like that or you're going to end up with a laceration in your kidney."
Eliot pressed his lips together and settled back down on the couch. He really did need to rest a little. He just hated this so much. He hated being sick or hurt. Most of the time he could work through it, but busted ribs were always rough. Add a bruised kidney and he was pretty much out of commission for a couple days.
He closed his eyes and let his head rest on the back of the couch. This couldn't have been worse timing either. He'd had a special evening planned for Nate. A nice dinner and a concert. Then he'd planned on keeping Nathan in bed all night in ways that would leave the other man hard pressed to know if he were coming or going.
Now it looked like the concert tickets and dinner reservations were going to waste. He knew it was sentimental, but he figured Nathan would like it, and honestly, he was looking forward to getting his lover out of the house and out of his own head for a while. God knew Nathan needed it.
Eliot sighed and placed an arm over his eyes to block out some of the sunlight. He hated this!
* * *
He's not sure when he fell asleep, but he knows what woke him up. The smell of barbecue is redolent throughout the apartment and he feels hungry for the first time since early yesterday. He hears his breath hiss out between his teeth as he pushes himself up to a sitting position.
Outside the sun is hanging low in the sky and he can hear rush hour traffic on the street outside. He twists a little and watches as Nathan bustles around in the kitchen. He licks his lips and reaches for the glass of lukewarm water sitting on the coffee table. This is why he hates painkillers, they knock his ass out. He can't believe he's more or less slept all day.
He swallows the water and leans back against the pillows propped up on the arm of the couch. "Nate?"
Nathan turns from placing the ribs on the plates and smiles. "You're awake!"
He comes into the living room carrying two plates. "Do you think you can eat?"
Eliot stares at the pile of ribs and sauce piled high on the plate and feels his stomach rumble. "This from the place over on third?"
"Yeah, Gillroy's. I ran out while you were asleep. Hold on, I'll be right back."
Eliot watches as Nathan sets down the plates and then grabs a couple of glasses of water and a bowl. He comes back over and sets the bowl down in front of Eliot and places the glasses down.
Eliot stares at the extra sauce heaped on his plate and the bowl of slaw, which he knows Nate abhors. "This looks really good."
Nathan beams down at him and motions for Eliot to scoot forward a little. They slowly manage to get arranged on the couch so that Eliot is sitting between Nathan's legs, back resting against his chest. He's not sure how Nathan is eating and cuddling him at the same time, but he figures he'll probably end up with sauce in his hair. Right now he's not sure he cares. It feels too damn good.
Nathan leans to the right a little and grabs the remote. "I picked something else up too."
He clicks on the TV and Eliot can't help the grin that stretches over his face as Laurel and Hardy come on the screen.
Nate sits back, Eliot a solid warmth against him, and watches as Eliot eats and chuckles at the antics of the two men on TV. He was a little surprised to learn about Eliot's fondness for the old comedy duo. But when he'd seen how his lover would crack up at them he'd filed it away for later reference.
With the apartment lights out, he watched the light from the monitors flicker over Eliot's face, watched as he relaxed and ate the barbecue. The harsh pain lines in his face smoothed out and some of the tension that had been knotting up his shoulders released. Nathan sat with his chin on top of Eliot's head, eyes closed and smiled as Eliot's soft laugh rumbled through him.
* * *
Nathan opened his eyes as something warm and soft closed over his lips. He looked into Eliot's soft brown eyes and opened his mouth to him, tasting the tanginess of barbecue and vinegar.
Eliot eased himself back down on the couch and slid an arm around his lover, reaching up to kiss him again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"No. That's okay." He glanced around and winced as his neck cracked. "The movie go off?"
"Yeah." Silence filled the room for a minute and then Eliot leaned in and kissed Nate again. "I'm sorry, you didn't have a better Valentine's Day."
Nathan blinked down at the man beside him. "What? I had a wonderful time. I'm just sorry you were hurt and couldn't enjoy it more."
Eliot squeezed Nathan and closed his eyes. "I don't know what you mean. I had some of my favorite things here."
Nathan felt his eyebrow quirk. "Really."
Eliot smirked. "Yeah. Barbecue, a good movie, and you." He leaned in and laid another kiss against Nathan's mouth, smiling as Nathan laid a hand against his face.
*The End*