A/N: Merry Christmas! I am so sorry for the long delay! I've been super busy with my own personal issues and school and stress and things. Not to mention, my other story, Durin's Daughter, has gotten more popular than I thought so I was focusing on that for a while. Also, inspiration for this next chapter was slim and I was just…..yeah.
But I'm back now and I have to get back on track. Once again, these one shots are based off of Anime Girl23 story 50 Sentences and I'm adding my own spin on her prompts, with her permission. I do not own her story, nor do I own Leverage.
NONE of these one shots are related to one another unless specifically stated. Thanks so much for reading and I look forward to reviews and comments!
It is a very well known fact to the Leverage team that a week off from any sort of clients, jobs, possible clients and jobs, or any other problematic issues within the team itself that needed to be resolved were few and far between. Nate tended to cram as much business as possible in as little time, leaving none to spare. Sophie mentioned a "winner's high". As a longtime gamer, Hardison could relate.
But this last week…there had been nothing. Not a damn thing. No pressing clients, no jobs, no internal affairs, nothing. The whole team had been on edge the first day into having nothing to do, which in itself wasn't that far out of normal. Their lives tended to be ones of constant vigilance and anxiety and paranoia (and extremely violent reactions, apparently). After the second and third day of absolute, God-given peace, Nate had officially called it and gave everyone the week off to enjoy. Oh, and Hardison enjoyed.
They all did, actually. Together. Despite having worked together for years now, they all tended to do their own things when it came to free time. Sophie shopped, usually dragging Nate behind her, Nate (if not with Sophie) was likely to be found doing any number off odd jobs or hobbies, Parker liked to bounce around the city, vary between the four of them, rappelling as fast as she could in an effort to set some sort of record, Hardison settled in with his Orange Soda and gaming system and went on a binge of WOW, and Eliot vanished into one of his safe houses and would not be seen or heard from again until their next meet up. He never said what he did, but Hardison had begin to notice that he seemed happier, more relaxed and at ease than at any other time. Parker, too, seemed more cheerful when Eliot was like this, and in turn, it made the rest of them happy to see their two more damaged members so comfortable.
So it was with a severe jolt of shock when, at the end of the week of gaming bliss, that Hardison watched Eliot enter the apartment HQ with his right arm bandaged tight to his chest and cradled in a sling.
Nate, Sophie, and Hardison were together and were waiting on Parker and Eliot. Sophie and Nate were all cozy on the couch, while Hardison pointedly kept his eyes on his laptop, praying that the thief and hitter got there soon. Half his wish was answered moments later when Parker, ever the daredevil, swung in through the window in the kitchen and landed in a crouch on the counter.
"Hey, finally! Where've you been, mama? I've been stuck with the lovebirds for the past two hours waiting for y'all to show-"
"Yeah, well, I'm here now. Keep your shorts on." Parker snapped and made her way towards the couch, opposite of Nate and Sophie.
"Hey, Parker." Sophie smiled at the blonde thief from the crook of Nate's arm. "What took you so long?"
What happened next was strange. This was the woman who's favorite hobby was jumping off of buildings, who loved to poke at Eliot's bruises, who was unashamed at her lack of social cues, and was extremely blunt for everything. This was Parker, who, right in front of their eyes, blushed.
Hardison wasn't the only one who was a little shocked. Sophie's brow furrowed while Nate simply cocked his head and looked at Parker expectantly. Hardison just stared. Parker's pale porcelain face was still tinged pink when she was saved by the front door opening.
"Eliot, man, c'mere. We just asked Parker why she was late, and guess what. The girl is blushing, man. Do you know why-" Hardison called out to the lumbering hitter as he made his way into the apartment, but he was cut off by Sophie's squeal.
"Oh God, Eliot!"
To be perfectly honest, Eliot had looked worse. They had all seen him shot, bloody, bruised, torn and slashed, scarred, broken, and on more than one occasion, seriously hospitalized. But those injuries had happened while on jobs. They had been on vacation this time.
Eliot's hand and wrist was wrapped tightly in a tannish grey gauze, and his arm was held to his chest in a dark blue-black sling. His eyes were tired and dark, but Hardison saw something lighter in their depths…amusement? What the hell?
"What the hell happened man?" Hardison whistled.
Nate, so far, had said nothing. His face was passive and blank, like Parker's usually was in any situation, except today, her face was red with embarrassment and Nate's face seemed to have spotted an inkling of truth in the confusion as he sat back and chuckled.
"I fail to see what's so funny about this, Nate!" Sophie sent an admonishing glare at him, and then turned her cooing attention back on the uncomfortable hitter.
"I'm fine, Sophie, alright? Leave me alone. It was an accident." Eliot tried to brush off the grifter with a wave of his hand, except he tried to wave her off with his right hand. He hissed and suddenly everyone was on alert. Even Nate was eyeing Eliot closely.
"You're not fine."
Parker's soft voice caught their attention right after that, and Hardison felt like he was at risk of getting whiplash. Her blush had receded, but her normally pale face still retained a hint of color. Her eyes were wide and bright, but they were looking only at Eliot, who seemed to have forgotten his pain. His own crystal eyes softened at the thief, which was normal. They all seemed to have a soft spot for Parker (some of theirs softer than others) and her eccentricities. Eliot treated her…well, not exactly with kid gloves, but hardheaded hitter could be surprisingly gentle when he chose to be.
"Parker," the hitter's rough, gravely voice came out softer than the hacker expected. "I'm alright, darling. Really. It's not your fault."
"Yes it is!" Parker remarked, then she shut her mouth with a snap, her eyes wide with shock. Eliot, too, had that look that Hardison usually attributed to getting hit over the head with a steel pipe.
The other three were just as dumbstruck. Nate looked like he had just solved the mystery, with his smug bastard look, and Sophie was very close. Hardison would later say that he had known and had been struggling with denial, but the reality was he was as lost as the boys from Neverland.
"Um…does someone care to explain exactly why it's Parker's fault that Eliot's arm is in a sling?" Sophie carefully asked, looking between the blonde thief and dark-haired hitter expectantly.
"Nope." Eliot straightened up and shut down, and then they were all looking at Parker. Hardison could see Eliot's eyes looking calmly and confidently at the crazy woman, but honestly, who was he kidding? The woman was terrible with secrets, and they all could attest to that. They didn't have long to wait.
"Eliot and I are having sex!" Parker exploded, along with Hardison's head.
"WHAT?"
Not a lot of things could get a bunch of thieves worked up. Heists, money, police, and certain death were some of the very few things Hardison would include on that list. He just added "Eliot and Parker" to that list.
"Oh my God, Parker, since when? And what does that have to do with Eliot's arm?" Sophie exclaimed, caught between being ecstatic for her two lonely lovebirds and shocked.
"Um…" Parker gave that look again, that shy, blushing look where she peeked out from under her eyelashes and made every man give her a second glance. Maybe she knew more about social cues than they thought. Or Sophie's tips were finally being put to good use.
Eliot sighed, and Hardison was surprised to see him smiling fondly at her. He took a few careful steps down to where they were all waiting and made his way to where Parker sat. He sat on her left so his uninjured hand could take one of hers, which she clutched at ferociously.
"Truth is, Parker and I are sort of….together. That way, and like, a couple. You know?" Eliot spoke up, his eyes glinting with mirth. "Been about, what, six months now? Maybe a little less-"
"Four months, two weeks, three days, nine hours, forty minutes and thirty-two seconds." Parker rattled off and Eliot paused to chuckle, again with a certain fondness Hardison had never seen. This was so bizarre. Like watching Animal Planet live.
"Sounds about right. Anyway, so, yeah, like she said-"
"That is wonderful!" Sophie exclaimed. She had settled back into Nate's side, who was looking more amused by the second. "You two are adorable!"
Parker ducked her head, pressing it into Eliot's shoulder as he leaned back slowly. And Hardison could see it. He could see them. Eliot, the strong and silent hitter, the protector, and Parker, the small and delicate but not fragile thief. They were opposites and yet they worked so seamlessly. Yet…
"That still doesn't explain why your arm is all jacked up." Hardison pointed out, and he could see from the tightness in Eliot's jaw that he had been trying to avoid that particular detail.
"Hardison, I'm all for finally sharing our relationship here, but some things-"
"It's my fault. I didn't put the handcuffs on right."
"-are personal." Eliot finished with a groan, and now he was the one with the reddening face.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Handcuffs?" Hardison could not believe his ears. He seemed to have been caught in a strange mixture of wanting to throw up, and laugh hysterically. He chose the second one. "No way, man. You serious? The all mighty Eliot Spencer submissive behind closed doors? Oh this is going on the company gossip column."
"Shut up, Hardison." Eliot snarled, but the venom wasn't as effective with his blushing face. Parker seemed to have returned to her blunt nature, looking on with slight confusion.
"What? What's so funny? I like handcuffs. It makes everything more exciting. And besides, Eliot already had some we could use and-"
"Okay, okay!" Nate interrupted at last. "That's enough of that. Eliot?"
The hitter sighed, knowing that the ridicule to come would certainly last for a long time yet.
"Fractured my wrist and dislocated my shoulder."
" I was wrong." Hardison amended, and everyone glanced his way. "That's going on the company gossip column."
"Ooh, you can interview me!" Parker exclaimed as she settled into Eliot's side, who closed his eyes and groaned as the three other thieves laughed.