I dedicate this one to my adorable puppy who turned two today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLIE!
Chapter Twenty-six
"I'm hungry." Parker grumbled to no one inparticular.
"Didn't you just eat?" Eliot reminded as he looked at Hardison who was looking at him funny, as if he was searching or trying to piece something together.
"Breakfast!" That should have been obvious.
"Which you had barely an hour ago." Only Parker would want to eat two meals so close together.
"And?"
"Okay what?" Eliot stopped talking to Parker as he questioned Hardison. "Why are you staring?"
"I'm not." Hardison moved his eyes to prove his point though they both knew he was.
He hadn't been able to make out what was said but he woke that morning to raised voices and that topped with Eliot being propped in the middle of the bed with all the pillows had him wondering if Nate had even spent the night in this room.
"The hell you aren't!" Eliot could feel his gaze and knew for some reason or another Hardison was trying to read him.
"I swear I'm not." He didn't want to say anything, didn't believe it his business to but he was worried.
Nate was off in another part of the house somewhere as if he was avoiding Eliot.
He knew yesterday that something was off between them but didn't figure it to be as bad as it was, but a fight before nine in the morning?
That was something serious.
"WHO CARES!" Parker interrupted.
"Who cares about what?" Nate snuck into the bedroom and with it the conversation.
"Lunch" Hopefully Nate would be a better choice for this topic.
"Sounds good to me." He moved to the dresser to grab his wallet. "Why don't you and Hardison go pick something up."
"Is there anything specific you would like to request?" Hardison spoke in an uppity tone as he took the money. He heard Nate's words for what they were, an order.
"Anything's fine with me but," It wouldn't be possible to stretch that word out anymore. "since you're going out I do have a few things that I need you to get." He handed Parker the list he had spent the last forty minutes making.
"Honestly Nate," Hardison glanced over the first paper of a three page list. "we'll have to go to at least five or six places to find all of this."
"Well then you better get going." He suggested as Parker called that she was driving and Hardison took off like a bat out of hell to insure that didn't happen.
"Did you just send them on a scavenger hunt?"Eliot asked after he was sure the other two had indeed left.
"Maybe" Nate shrugged as he kicked off his shoes and socks.
"Why?" Eliot watched Nate sit on the edge of the bed pulling his shirt over his head by the hem.
"Well," The shirt was tossed to the side as he moved to Eliot's. "if I remember correctly I was supposed to shower this morning."
"So you sent everyone away? There's another shower upstairs you know." Eliot knew which way he wanted this to go but with Nate you could never be certain.
"Yeah. I know," Nate mumbled as Eliot lifted up and he got rid of the shirt. "but then I thought of someone who had been begging me to bathe."
"And?" Nate had started a trail of kisses from behind his ear moving over his throat and down his chest, his hands sliding down his sides and to the elastic of the basketball shorts he had put on that morning.
"And how much better it would be to share that tub in there with you." He knew Eliot would be thrilled with that, he hadn't been allowed use of a tub since the shower he had taken Easter morning and that had been two weeks ago.
"You should have come up with a longer list." Eliot complained as he ran his fingers over Nate's chest. The last thing he wanted was for those two to be showing up anytime soon and with his luck they probably would.
"Trust me with some of the things on there we've got three hours at least." He had made up a few things and the last item on the list was more of a task saying 'get groceries' which was probably the only thing they actually needed off of there.
"Then don't waste it." Thinking about the boot he'd have to remove, the hand that needed wrapping, and the stitches that needed to be covered had him snapping back to reality.
"Not a chance." Nate lifted himself from the bed and to the bathroom where he started drawing water for their bath. He and Eliot had made it over another bump in the road and he was going to celebrate because with them the smooth sailing never lasted long.
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"Nate! Nate what was up with that list?" Hardison yelled as he walked through the door dropping his bags on the floor.
"I needed everything on there." Nate managed to keep a straight face as he spoke, they had taken nearly five hours instead of the predicted three.
"Really! What did you need a George Strait CD for?" They were relaxing on the couch with the game on while he had been busting his butt looking for the items Nate asked for. He'd have sworn half of the things on there were fake.
"For Eliot" Eliot just stared at Nate for a minute before shrugging, he'd take it.
"Are you going to help me get the rest?" Parker huffed as she dropped an armful of bags on a chair. She had actually enjoyed the shopping, it wasn't like when Sophie dragged her along and they spent hours looking at absolutely nothing of interest. No this trip was straight to the point and had actual reasoning behind it.
"I'll help." Nate got up but Parker didn't follow as she moved toward Eliot.
"Your hair's braided." Parker was inspecting his head like it was a safe she planned to crack.
"Yeah." Eliot pushed a few of the strays back, sure it was something knew but she was looking at him as if braiding his hair back was one of the stupidist or craziest things she had ever seen.
"You braided his hair?" Parker questioned Nate knowing that you needed two hands for the task.
"Why? Is there a problem?" He had been brushing through Eliot's wet head when he realized how tempermental the humidity was making it and as much as he loved playing with Eliot's hair he did not have plans to blow dry it so he braided it back instead.
"Nope, you look cool." Parker announced. She didn't know Nate knew how to braid.
"Hah, more like the bearded lady." Hardison laughed. Eliot was looking extremely scruffy and the razor he had been sent after was probably the only thing that would see actual use.
"Lady? Lady my ass!" Eliot growled, he did not look like a damn woman.
"Hey now," Hardison put up his hands as he backed up. "don't get your panties all twisted."
"Oh I'm gonna twist somethin' if you don't get outta here." He only had to shift forward the slightest before Hardison was out the door grumbling about no respect and how he wasn't scared of him.
Eliot wouldn't ever hit the man but he was sure tempted sometimes.
The vague thought of him being able to get away with it now had him remembering Hardison's declaration of fighting the injured and it had him wondering if Hardison would actually attempt it.
If he did he'd regret it, not because Eliot would retaliate because he wouldn't but because Hardison would scare himself to death with the thought that he would.
"Want some?" Parker flipped on the couch with her cookies figuring three people weren't really needed to empty the car.
He accepted one not really bothered that she changed the channel. Nate was the one that really liked to watch sports, sure he enjoyed the occasional game but he preferred to play them. "What did you guys get for dinner?"
"Stuff" Hardison spoke from behind them, he must have come through the back door with the rest of his bags. "We fiigured you'd have an idea or two about what you wanted so we just got the basics. Meat, vegetables, junk like that."
"Who's cookin'?" Surely they weren't expecting him to because it wasn't happening.
The x-ray he had gotten of his femur last showed it was nearly healed having been a minute fracture but that would change if he didn't let the bone rest. His stitches were still in place on his thigh and the muscle continued to burn, only intensifying when he pulled against where it was trying to repair itself.
"Well obviously not you." Hardison rolled his eyes at Eliot's accusation.
Like they'd really expect the one armed man to make dinner.
"Don't worry 'bout it." Nate dismissed as he came in and leaned on the back of the couch between Parker and Eliot. He had to feed Eliot and while he was at it he might as well feed the other two.
"How'd you bruise your neck?" Parker poked the mark that had become visible as Nate turned his head.
"Parker you don't poke people in the throat." Nate's hand went to feel for the mark as the tips of his ears began to tint. He hadn't noticed it but the glint in Eliot's eye said he had and in his opinion Eliot was looking way too happy with having put it there.
"Well?" Hardison crossed his arms as he too waited for an explanation.
"Come on Parker you can help me with dinner." Nate ignored Alec as he and Parker went into the kitchen. He'd let Eliot deal with this one.
"For real? A hicky?" Hardison spoke in disbelief as he sat in Parker's vacant spot.
"It's not a hicky." Eliot denied, Hardison sounded like he was reprimanding a teenager and it was laughable.
"Yeah because all spider bites look like that." Eliot was stupid if he thought he'd believe that.
"It's not a spider bite." Eliot spoke with complete seriousness. "He was attacked by the vaccum."
Hardison couldn't help it, within seconds he was laughing.
He had to hand it to Eliot for that one, he had never seen him as serious as he was now and he was admiring the self control it had to be taking. "You know what," Hardison cleared his throat as he tried to match Eliot's stern eyes. "we'll go with that." Maybe he had misunderstood their arguing that morning, or maybe not but he hoped this meant they had worked things out.
"Why wouldn't we? It's the truth." The inside of his cheek was sore from how hard he had bit it to keep from laughing but it was worth it. No way was he talking hickies with Hardison and adding the joke was his way of claiming the blame without turning an uncomfortable moment into an awkward conversation.
They turned their heads toward the kitchen having heard an accusing gasp followed by a very loud, "It's a hicky!"
Eliot tried to keep his serious tone, he really did but Parker being so late to the game left him unable to hold back. He could picture Nate's face perfectly and he was sure if he wasn't ready to kill him at the very least they'd be having some words later on tonight.
"Naw Parker," Hardison left Eliot on his own as he went to the kitchen. "the vaccum did it!"
No there'd be no words, Nate was going to kill him.
E/N: Random much? That's what I thought too, but it was fun.
TFR