Title: Sparky 2.0
Author: Trapper Creek Kaniac
Fandom: Leverage
Category: Humor, Family
Pairing: Parker, team
Rating: K
Warning(s): none.
Summary: Sparky the Hippo's continued adventures with the Leverage team.
Disclaimer:All recognizable characters and places belong to the show's awesome creators John Rogers and Chris Downey, I am only having some fun with them. I do not own Leverage and am not affiliated with the show other than being an obsessed, ahem, devoted fan. That concludes our regularly scheduled disclaimer, so make yourself comfortable and join the fun!
Author's Note: Back by popular demand. Wow, thank you so much for all the love, guys!
Hardison was the only one at Nate's apartment when Parker returned from going though their current mark's safe. Nate, Sophie, and Eliot were still busy with the con and not scheduled to be back for at least an half hour.
While the four of them were gone Hardison had been busy hatching a plan, a decent one if he did say so himself. Eliot would positively beat his ass, especially after the sandwich incident, but the payoff would be worth the risk.
"Hey, Parker -" Hardison greeted the bouncy thief.
"You wouldn't believe the safe Lawson had! It was-"
"Parker. Parker!"
"Huh? What?"
"I have an idea... do you want to play a prank on Eliot?"
"Ooh! Yeah!" Parker grinned. "What are we going to do?"
"We should hide Sparky under the cushion of his chair so that when he sits down it sounds like he's farting."
Parker nodded excitedly then frowned. "Wait, no, we can't, he'll kill Sparky."
"Do you really think he will?"
"Remember my pinata?" Parker began pacing.
"True," Hardison reluctantly agreed.
"I got it! There's a store a couple blocks from here that has those cushions you squeeze. We could steal some of those."
"You can't just steal-" Too late, Parker was already gone.
She returned several minutes later carrying several whoopee cushions.
"Seriously?"
"What?" Parker shrugged, not seeing the problem. "Let's put these under the cushion before he gets back."
Hardison took one of the cushions and squeezed it. Pffffttttthhhbbb. He and Parker exchanged glances. This was going to be awesome...
L*E*V*E*R*A*G*E
The rest of the team arrived sometime later. Sophie went straight to the kitchen to start some water for tea and Nate directed Hardison to look into something he'd seen while they were at the mark's office. Parker exchanged glances with Hardison as Eliot started towards his chair.
One of Hardison's laptops was conveniently set up to record all the action. Hardison casually reached over and punched a key before resuming typing on the laptop sitting on the briefing table.
Eliot sat down. Pffffffffftttttthhhbbb.
Eliot flew out of the chair faster than Hardison thought possible and snatched the seat cushion, revealing the whoopee cushion. "Damn it, Hardison!"
Nate chuckled, in spite of himself. That damn hippo was starting to take over his life.
"Whoa, hey, man, what makes you think it was me?" Hardison faked a wounded look.
Eliot glared. "I know how you think..." He noticed Parker trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably. "Damn it...both of you... unbelievable."
Sophie's heels clicked and she glared at all of them. "Seriously? That's the only thing you can think of to do, playing with a farting hippo?"
Hardison had the decency to look embarrassed while Parker shrugged and Eliot stood with his arms crossed, smirking.
"Come on, Soph, let 'em play." Nate defended their antics.
Sophie gave him a long, pointed look before the whistling tea kettle spared him from a further comment. He would be paying for this later.
L*E*V*E*R*A*G*E
The next several days were far from uneventful. Eliot now made a habit of checking under the cushions whenever he was about about to sit down but no one was safe from the whoopee cushions.
Nate was the next to fall victim. Unfortunately he didn't give them the satisfaction of reacting other than a slightly annoyed "Seriously?"
Sophie, on the the hand, not so much. She poured herself a glass of wine and padded over to the couch, where she planned to curl up and finish the Nora Roberts romance novel she was currently reading. She gracefully slid into her place and drew her knees up.
Pffffftttthhhhbb.
"Oh! Gracious."
The rest of the team were trying not to laugh but it wasn't working so well.
"I hate you all!" Sophie exclaimed, gingerly lifting herself off of the couch and flouncing off to the spiral staircase that led upstairs, wineglass still in hand.
The next day it was Hardison's turn to unsuspectingly sit on the air cushions and Eliot's chance for payback.
Parker sat cross-legged in Eliot's chair holding Sparky, mumbling something to herself while she petted him and did something with a soft measuring tape. Nate was doing the morning's Sudoku puzzle and Eliot was in the kitchen helping himself to another cup of coffee.
Hardison was late. "My stock of gummy frogs and orange soda was getting low," he offered as an explanation.
Eliot watched as he added two more bottles of orange soda to the fridge and almost dropped a bag of gummy frogs.
"Where's Sophie?"
"Shopping." Eliot rolled his eyes.
Hardison nodded and opened the drawer dedicated to gummy frog storage and dumped several bags into it. He saved one back, which he ripped open as he walked over to where his laptop was set up. He sat down.
Pfffffttthhbbb.
Hardison let out a yelp of surprise and Eliot laughed. Nate laughed too. Sophie had left earlier to go shoe shopping, claiming she couldn't stand to be around them when they were acting like this.
Pfffthb.
"Y'all both are in on it, aren't you."
Parker, still giggling, squeezed Sparky and nodded.
"Hell yeah." Eliot chuckled, grinning. "Payback's a bitch, man," he patted Hardison on the back as he walked past him.
L*E*V*E*R*A*G*E
That evening Parker found Eliot on the roof of Nate's apartment, beer in hand, watching the sun sink toward the horizon. The team was playing a waiting game with the mark so Parker decided to go rappelling, and take Sparky with her in the new little harness she'd made for him.
Eliot heard her and turned to watch as she began setting up her rig.
"What are you doing?" Eliot asked when he noticed the stuffed hippo was wearing what looked like a miniature version of Parker's harness.
"I'm taking Sparky rappelling with me!"
A muscle in Eliot's cheek twitched. Seriously? Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered asking.
"Hey, Parker?"
Parker looked up. "Yeah?"
"Why'd you name it Sparky?"
"Well..." Parker shrugged. "You both fart."
There was a long pause and Parker was beginning worry she'd said something wrong when Eliot actually started to laugh.
She stared at him.
"There's something wrong with you." Eliot said, but a ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Parker grinned.
She gave Sparky a push over the edge and then leaped off after him. "Yeeeehoooo!"
Fin
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated.