He could sense her disapproval as soon as they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building he lived at. It was not a large building maybe twenty units total but it was also not the nicest place in the world. "Why do you live here?" she asked as they exited the car which earned a few glances of interest from a group of younger boys loitering by the empty pool. A glare from Eliot had them scattering quickly as he came around the car and led Parker to the stairs.
"Didn't know how long we were going to stay in Boston. Then once we started I spent so little time here it didn't matter." He told her with a shrug. They reached the third floor silently and he unlocked the door opening it for her. While the inside of the apartment was better it still was not great though privately he felt that the warehouse left her no room to judge. He watched her look around and copied taking in the room from newcomers eyes. The couch was worn it was obvious that he spent most nights sleeping there something the wrinkled blanket and pillow made clear. He had scattered a few personal mementos throughout the room, the sword Nate and Sophie had given him for Christmas had been hung by the window and a picture of a young Eliot and his mother was on the side table but other than that it was all second hand or beat up furniture.
"Do you like it here?" she asked wrinkling her nose slightly as the baby next door began to cry. "Where's your garden?"
"Out here." He led her to the window which led to a fire escape; she crawled out before him and went up the ladder. The roof was mostly empty save a small tarp set up in the far corner. "I pay the building manager a little extra to turn a blind eye, his wife likes the fresh tomatoes too." Eliot told her opening one of the flaps to allow her entrance. It was not a large garden just a line of three troughs filled with dirt and plants at various stages of growth. There was a hose set up in the back which he turned on starting up his home-made irrigation system.
"Do you talk to them, Sophie says you're supposed to talk to flowers to make them grow better but the one's Tara got me before she left died anyway. Maybe I wasn't saying the right thing." Parker thought aloud leaning over to inspect his small green bean crop clearly intrigued by the little sprouts.
"Those are for plants that are still alive, once you pull them out of the ground most are dead." Eliot told her he had a faint memory of Tara looking just a bit scared of the small blonde thief as she handed her a bouquet of daffodils before she left her temporary post with the team.
"Yours aren't in the ground." She argued pointing accusingly at the plants which despite a day of not being watered seemed to be doing just fine.
"They have dirt here Parker." He picked up a clump and tossed it at her to demonstrate chuckling as she glared at the dirt spot on her shirt.
"But what if they die too then you can't eat." She told him either choosing to ignore the dirt or already plotting revenge.
"I can still use a grocery store, remember that place we went last night." He joked smirking as she scowled in return.
"You're making fun of me!" she told him crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him defiantly. He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of his chest, she reminded him in that moment of his niece at three years old demanding to be allowed to stay up with her Uncle Elly.
"I'm sorry sweetheart I'm just in a good mood." He stood from his crouched position and took her by the arm leading her out of the tent into the sunlight. "A whole month to just rest, I haven't had that since I was eighteen. Even when the team was on breaks I was always going."
"Why didn't you rest?" she asked moving forward to sit on the ledge her body swaying with the wind as she leaned over.
"Back then there was more bad stuff then good, I didn't have anything nice to think about and after a while all you can do is think. I didn't want the bad stuff to overwhelm me." He told her sitting on the roof with his back up against her ledge her calf a comforting warmth against his side.
"All you do is sit around and think, that's really boring." She told him clearly only half focused as she looked off at a point in the distance.
"Well I have other things to do this time." He nudged her gently brining her focus back to him. "I want to build you new bookshelves in that library of yours, plus I promised to teach you to cook."
"And you need a different place to live; I don't want all your food to die." She answered. "What's wrong with my bookshelves?"
"Let's just say I don't think carpentry is a talent of yours." He chuckled and when he didn't hear a response for a few moments he looked up and found her deeply absorbed in thought yet again.
"What's going on Parker?" he asked hefting his weight up to the ledge forcing her to focus on him.
"Archie wants me to come to dinner and meet his family." She said after a moment. The second the words left her mouth she dropped her eyes down to her hands as she twisted her fingers around each other clearly expecting to be chastised. "I've been putting him off because we are so busy but I think Nate told him about the vacation because he wants me there on Friday."
Eliot paused a moment to collect his thoughts. Archie's comments about Parker not fitting in anywhere when they first met had rubbed him the wrong way though clearly the older man had opened his viewpoint since. Eliot couldn't help but feel a bit cautious about the whole thing, Archie wasn't entirely wrong Parker was a loose cannon at times and was difficult to corral once excited; for someone who wasn't used to her particular brand of crazy she could seem like a lot. "Do you want to go?"
"He told his daughter… his real daughter that I was his daughter too and now I don't know what he wants." She said honestly. Eliot felt his heart break; this girl had never had anyone care about her for anything other than what she brought to the table. Had she not been as naturally gifted he had no doubt Archie would have passed her by that day on the street; he could just see Parker looking twenty years older standing on a street corner waiting for a nameless man to pull up. He imagined that would have been her life had thieving not been an option in some ways it might have been better than the broken young woman with no last name who couldn't imagine a scenario where someone might care about her or want her to be a part of their life.
"He wants to know you Parker. Can't say I blame the man you're quite the person to know even with the odd fascination with tasers." He replied nudging her shoulder pleased to see her finally crack a smile. "If you want I can go with you on Friday, we can make a pie to bring along, my momma always said you never show up to someone's house without something for them in return."
"You should live at my house." She blurted out as though it had been building and just exploded out of her.
"What?" he replied automatically unsure how to process her comments, before he could say another word she began to speak.
"Well I don't like it here, there's nowhere safe for all your money and loot. You know I keep my stuff safe, I have a spare key and a big backyard, plus you saw there are plenty of rooms. We can get a dog too but not one of those ones that talk like that cartoon Hardison watches. The underwear dog is weird I don't want a dog that can fly unless he can take me up with him. Plus you wanted to fix my bookshelves anyway and there's a lot of room and the garage has room for two cars."
"Was that all one breath?" he asked amused by her rant. She chose to stay silent and just looked at him as he mulled the choice in his mind. He knew they worked well together, he had told her as much in the cave, she forced that protector out in him in a different way. He would take a punch; knife, bullet, or anything physical for the team without a second thought but Parker was the only one who he felt responsible for emotionally. Perhaps it was the simple fact that he knew she trusted him, a gift she rarely gave that made him more attuned to her but whatever the case she was his responsibility. She was also not incorrect about his current living arrangements the place was not the best and he couldn't deny that the bed in her guest room had felt more at home than the creaky hotel room bed ever had. "I suppose we could give that a shot, I'm not a fan of the underwear dog either." He replied she let out an excited squeal and before he could prepare himself he had his arms full of an ecstatic Parker. She had leapt forward wrapping her arms and legs around him in an excited hug.
Once he got over the shock he hugged her back a bit tighter then he normally would have he was not a man who received hugs very much though he very much liked the feeling of being wrapped in another person. Almost involuntarily he found himself closing his eyes, breathing in her scent. His body for the first time in years moved without his permission as he began running his hands up and down her slender back the man in him delighting in her small shiver. She pulled back and he reluctantly loosed his hold prepared to apologize for wandering hands but was shocked yet again when he felt her warm lips place a kiss on his cheek. "What?" he asked pulling away far enough to look her in the eye but not letting go completely.
"You said you were supposed to bring something when you visit someone's House. I don't have any pie so that Will have to do." She told him before springing off his lap and happily descending the fire escape muttering something about stuffing his clothes in pillowcases.
"Well." He pressed a hand to his cheek where he could still feel the press of her lips. "Was not expecting to be attracted to her." The wind carried his confession away as he slowly shook the feeling of her lips on his cheek and her body pressed against hers. This might just suck he thought as he followed her down the fire escape.
A/N: I'm glad so many of you like that this is from Eliot's POV the next chapter will focus more on Eliot dealing with the fact that he is attracted to Parker. This doesn't mean he realizes he has feelings just that he's aware of her as a woman rather than his annoying kid sister. Just a heads up but it may be another week before I update, today was the first day of my birthday week (which basically means I'm going to be lazy unless I'm at work all week) culminating in my b-day on Friday so I doubt I'll get much writing done unless inspiration strikes and cannot be ignored! So Happy St. Patty's day in advance to all of you lovely people!