The Starter Job
Fandom – Leverage
Pairings – Eliot/Nate
Rating – R
Disclaimer – I do not own the characters of Leverage or their world. I own the OC's and the copy right to this story. I don't make any money off this; it's just for fun.
Warnings – Heavy on the slash, m/m, so if you don't like that sort of thing please don't read my story. I only want people who like m/m to read this. Because that means they may leave me nice reviews. Lol. And due to rules, no sex scenes. But if I write them I'll put a link to those who are interested.
Summary – The team takes on a job for a same-sex couple who run a specialty bar. Only someone is using it to run cons and ruin their reputation. It's up to the team to piece the puzzle together and run the bad guys out of town.
A/N – I'm finding it really hard to write Eliot/Nate. I love them. And don't get me wrong I ship the canon pairings. I just really wanted more with these two. I think it's because they don't discuss their feelings, because, men, ya know? Any suggestions will be great. Also, I don't know why people think that 22-caliber bullet won't do anything. I read a book by an FBI agent who was undercover in the mob for like six years (go read Donnie Brasco it's a good book) and from a description in that book or another by that Agent a 22 shot point blank into a person's head does a shit ton of damage. Also, sorry for the long wait. I kinda got stuck.
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Chapter 4
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Nate hadn't thought he'd be able to get to sleep so easily; but somehow when Eliot wrapped him in his strong arms it was fairly easy to nod off. It's late and Nate knows it. Everything is quiet downstairs even though he can hear dishes rattling. He smells coffee and it's time to get up and face the day.
They needed to see what Harding is up to and plan their next move. At least he wouldn't have to worry about going back to bar tend for a few days since they got the place shut down.
Nate yawned and moved to stretch. Eliot's arms squeezed him for a second, not willing to let go. Eliot gripped his wrists rather harshly, but as he woke he slowly pulled away from Nate.
"What was that all about anyway?" Nate asked.
"What?" Eliot asked. Stretching, bones cracking in all the wrong places. Nate pushed the blankets away. He glanced over his shoulder at Eliot and waited. Eliot watched him back. Nate could see the younger man trying to figure out what to say. Then, Eliot sat up.
"We're both lonely," and then he's out of bed and pulling on his jeans and a t-shirt. Nate couldn't argue with that. And he wasn't going to take whatever fulfilling thing Eliot had found in holding him during the night. It had been nice. He couldn't deny that even to himself. Eliot is down the stairs and Nate follows, mostly because he'd like coffee and mostly because Eliot doesn't want to talk about it and so he'll be patient and not ask until Eliot wants to speak to him about it.
Nate could tell that they'd fall into something like that pretty easily. Eliot smiled in greeting at Sophie and Parker while Hardison looked at whatever he'd gotten from Harding's computer the night before.
"This guy sure is brazen." Hardison announced to the room.
"How so?" Eliot asked, because Nate was going too. But, Eliot got there first. He flicked Nate's ear. Nate nodded and flipped him the finger. The girls giggled.
"Hey, can you two stop flirting for like two seconds and get your Asses over here?" Hardison demanded. He had his hands on his hips and is glaring a train at them. Nate brings his coffee to the desk and sat down, soon he is joined by the others.
"All right, what'd you find?" Parker asked. Trying to keep the cheer from earlier. Hardison's mood was killing all of their good vibes. Hardison's glare went into a frown but he turned to the computer screen.
"He's a gambler, he likes the track the most. But he fell into business with Montel Lindsey. He's a loan shark and mobster. He's on the FBI's top ten list. He's kept a low profile in Boston now for a few years. He's dangerous too. He's killed at least thirteen people himself. A .22 behind the ear." Hardison makes a gun out of his fingers and points behind his head.
"Is he looking to collect?" Sophie asked.
"Yeah. Harding owes him at least 2 mil." Hardison replied.
"Hmmmmmm…" Eliot studied the computer files with interest. Nate side-ways glanced at him. He always felt weird when he let one of the other's take charge on a job. So far Eliot's plans looked good and will probably work. Nate doesn't plan to tell him he's impressed all ready. He's going to make Eliot work for it.
Eliot rolls ideas around his head and notices Nate looking at him. He smirks a bit and sits back. Two can play at this little game. The payoff will be huge.
"So what's the plan? What do we steal now?" Parker asked Eliot.
"We're going to pull the backwards tail light." Eliot replied.
They all looked at him; Nate smirked and didn't help.
"It's stealing everything right in front of him." Eliot replied.
"But where does the backwards thing come in?" Parker asked.
"Just…" Eliot sighed and walked away. Nate laughed but left soon after. The two disappeared upstairs. The others heard the shower running and the fan going on. Sophie made a mew if disappointment. Parker giggled and Hardison rolled his eyes.
"I guess we don't have to help them get together after all." Parker said.
"What?" Sophie asked distractedly. She may not have a thing for Nate but she couldn't help checking him out every so often.
"Hardison and I were gonna play matchmaker but I think Eliot and Nate finally got the hints." She grinned. Sophie nodded.
"It's about time." Hardison muttered.
"Oh come on, Hardison, its not that bad." Sophie clucked at him.
"I'm the one who wants to learn from Nate," Hardison reminded her.
"I'll talk him into giving you the next one," she promised. That seemed to assuage Hardison so he got them all Wii controllers and they decided on a game to play. Sophie wasn't very good at it but Mario Cart is good for beginners so Hardison didn't mind trying to teach her how to play.
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Meanwhile upstairs; Nate had tackled Eliot on the bed. The shows is going so he doesn't want to take too much time, afraid that the hot water would run out before they could get in.
"What's wrong?" Nate asked.
"What do you mean?" Eliot asked back. Nate frowned.
"We haven't talked about the shower or last night, are you okay with this?"
"Yes, I'm fine with it." Eliot rolled his eyes.
Nate thought about it for a second and then shrugged, Eliot rolled them over so that now he is on top. He's got Nate pinned to the bed and the Nate doesn't seem to care.
"Actually, are you okay with me…doing this?" Eliot asked.
Nate raised an eyebrow, "I am, surprisingly."
"It won't come into play when we're on jobs." Eliot promised.
"Yeah right, unless I get caught again and not call the safe word." Nate rolled his eyes. Eliot laughed; Nate is right on that one, he had to admit.
"I not sorry about that."
"Let's go take a shower and forget about that one, it really was my fault anyway." Nate admitted. Eliot smiled and chuckled. That's a first. He decided not to push his luck. He helps Nate to his feet, and they both help each other out of their clothes.
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Leslie fixes her dark, brown hair into a braid. She twists it into a bun and pins it loosely with bobby pins. She looks ready for the office. She wears a dark blue A-line skirt, a white blouse with a dark blue ribbon that's tied into a large bow that droops slightly.
"Do you have all the tech?" Larry asks. He's tall and blonde but slim and gangly. He can't talk to girls at all but somehow Leslie finds him charming. He's not her type, but he's okay. He's also a third rate hacker, and it's an unwritten rule to never talk about Chaos or Alec Hardison in his presence.
"Yeah. I got it all." Leslie turned and waved a small purse at him. There's a hidden compartment inside where she hid the bugs and small button cams for when she got into Harding Sr.'s office. "It's not the first time I've done this." She smiled.
Larry nodded; "Okay, go on then. You know how boss man gets."
Leslie giggles, she slips into some high heels and then she's out of the back room that serves as the Employee Lounge for the club. She passed Alex's office where he and Margaret are fighting. Like they do. And then she's out the door. There's a small beeping sound. She sighs and from her bra she brings out a small, nude colored earpiece.
"You couldn't have waited until I got there?" she said. She hailed a taxi with pulled over. She gave the driver the address and then sat back for the ride.
"I don't know about you, but Alex isn't the best mastermind on the planet. I don't even know why we even stay around."
"Maybe we shouldn't." Leslie mused softly. The driver didn't look back at her.
"I've been making some back up plans to get out of Boston. What do you think about Mexico?" Larry asked.
"I'm not into you like that." Leslie reminded him. Larry sighed.
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Leslie signs in as a visitor and slips past the guards and into the elevators; it isn't hard to also get by Harding Sr.'s Secretary. She's an old woman and her glasses prescription needs to be updated. She smiles and gives a simple story. The woman waves her into the office. Leslie finds it empty, as she had hoped.
Thankfully the office isn't made completely out of glass, which would make this far harder. She put the thumb drive into the computer. It automatically downloads all files so she didn't have to manually do anything. She placed the buttons cam in strategic places and once the drive is done she pocketed it.
She walked out, the old woman looked up in surprise; "what's wrong, dear?"
"I just have to run to the little girls room…" she said and then hurried off.
Leslie couldn't remember when getting in and out of a building was so easy. She may not be the world infamous Parker; but she is good at her job.
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"Well, well, well…" Hardison smirked as surveillance angles came up on the screens. Parker and Sophie had made popcorn and Eliot – along with Nate – joined them with beers.
"Someone must have bugged Harding Sr.'s office before us." Nate muttered.
"Do we know who?" Sophie asked.
Hardison brought up some additional footage; A woman with dark hair and fair skin, a bit short if not for the heels, and dressed as an office worker could clearly be seen turning the cams on. She pocketed something from the computer and then walked out.
"How're you getting this?" Eliot asked.
"I'm piggy backing off of this horribly encrypted signal." Hardison laughed. "it's so bad, it kinda reminds me of someone I bumped into a while ago."
"Who?" Nate demanded.
"Larry…"
Hardison clicked at his keyboard and brought up a picture of a man who looked rather geeky but in a serf boarder sort of way. "Larry Pickles."
"Pickles?" Parker laughed.
"He's okay, as a coder, but as a hacker he is the worst!" Hardison grinned. His bright white teeth glinted fantastically in the light of the apartment.
"And Harding hired him why?" Nate asked. Eliot tweaked Nate's ear. The older man shot a mock-glare his way.
"He's a two-bit hacker. He lowered his prices because he knew he couldn't compete with the likes of me, or Chaos, for the matter. So, if people can't afford us, they hire him." Hardison explained patiently. Nate nodded.
"What'd they get from his computer?" Sophie asked.
"Probably all sorts of leverage." Hardison muttered. "I'm gonna try and trace the signal back to Pickles."
"I feel bad for him." Parker sighed.
"What? Why?" Hardison twitched at her.
"With a name like Pickles he probably got bullied a lot in school." Parker shrugged.
"Yeah well…." Hardison sighed and turned back to his job.
"I bet we all ready know where he is too." Nate muttered to Eliot.
"The club." Eliot nodded.
"Yeah." Nate agreed.
"Of course, so you don't have to trace him at all." Parker sat up and clapped her hands. Nate and Eliot watched as it dawned on her as well. They'd spoke soft enough that they didn't think she had heard them.
"Oh!" Hardison snapped his fingers at head height, "of course. The Club!"
"They're using it as their head quarters, so it is a front, but not at the same time." Nate said.
"So….how are we gonna steal it from them?" Sophie asked.
Eliot turned to Nate; "I like your Jimmy Apopo…whatever…cover."
Nate grinned widely, "ya know what? Me too."
TBC