Nate had fallen asleep lying next to Sophie but both had been too tired to consider doing anything other than passing out on the nearest bed. After Parker and Hardison had conked out on the couch and Eliot had settled down, their emotional exhaustion had caught up with them. The apartment was dark and silent, finally peaceful after a month of worry and pain. Calm.
Until the screams erupted.
Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison bolted up immediately and looked around for the source of the outburst. The younger couple understood first and ran to the source. Eliot was curled up in a ball in the center of his bed with his head in his arms and fists clenched. He had stopped screaming but now he was doing something even worse; Parker and Hardison were still frozen in shock when Sophie and Nate stumbled through the door, joining the others in their paralysis.
Eliot was crying.
He was still asleep but tears were leaking out of his eyes as he tensed as if protecting his body from blows. The team could hear his wet gasps and choked pleas. Everyone's stomachs dropped and Sophie was crying too. Nate had to inhale sharply before he could jolt himself to take action. The mastermind turned to the others.
"We can't leave him like this. I'm going to wake him up, but you all have to stay back in case he lashes out. Understand?" The others nodded and stayed put as Nate gulped and moved toward the trembling hitter. Once he reached the bed he spoke audibly. "Eliot." He paused and spoke up. "Eliot, wake up. It's not real. You're dreaming." When the hitter made no indication of having heard him, Nate stepped closer and reached out to shake his shoulder. The instant he touched him, a jolt ran through Eliot and he jerked. Nate flinched and pulled away, expecting to get hit, but the hitter surprised them yet again, shoving himself away. He fell off the bed and hit the ground with a grunt, dragging his body into the corner where he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, ducking his head.
"Elliot?" Sophie gasped.
The retrieval specialist was breathing harshly. He wasn't calming down. Before Nate could try to reach out again, the cowering man was hyperventilating. The team had no idea what to do. The mastermind had no plan. The grifter had no play. Parker, ever lost, wavered uncertainly. After making up his mind about his friend being well worth the risk, Hardison walked up to the hitter, kneeled down, and wrapped his arms around him. Eliot stiffened and hissed in pain and fear, but eventually he recognized his teammate.
"It's all right, man, you're safe here. We've got your back." The hacker spoke gently. He felt the anguished man relax some. Eliot sighed shakily, weary and overwhelmed. Alec was clean and warm, gentle, and one of the first people to touch him without intending to hurt him in a long time. The seasoned fighter hadn't been hugged in ages. That night, overtaken by agony and confusion and weariness, Elliot Spencer did the most dangerous thing in his life. He felt safe.
Now, the sun's luciferous beams gently streamed in through the curtains of the quiet room. It was light, warm, and peaceful, at long last. Eliot shook his head incredulously as Parker bounced in through the open door, followed by Hardison carrying a tray of food.
"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me," Eliot grumbled.
"That's right, breakfast in bed!" Hardison beamed. "What do we have here? Looks like your favorite- Parker, what did you do with Eliot's food? It was right here! What is this?"
Parker shrugged after sitting cross-legged on the bed next to where Eliot was propped up. "I thought he'd like spaghetti-and-chocolate-syrup better than eggs and toast and all that boring stuff."
The boys rolled their eyes as she looked between them questioningly. Before she could lament having forgotten to add jelly beans, Sophie opened the door and peeked in, eyes covered with her hand.
"Are you decent, Eliot?" She asked cautiously.
"I should hope so," Hardison smirked.
"Oh, you already brought him the breakfast? I wanted to see his…" The grifter paused at the sight of their hitter's proffered meal. "...reaction. Parker, did you-"
The thief was already nodding, pleased with her work.
Sophie smiled serenely. "Well, I'm sure that Eliot would prefer something more… wholesome. Why don't we make something else for him?"
They were all startled as Parker frowned and furrowed her eyebrows before saying, "But this is all I can do! How else can I help Eliot get better?"
The team was silent for a beat before the last person expected to respond spoke up.
"Don't be such a stingy brit," Eliot smiled a little. "I'm not a kid, Soph, so why shouldn't I have spaghetti-and -chocolate-syrup for breakfast? Ain't like I gotta eat healthy to grow up big and strong. Parker, hon, hand over that work of art." Without further ado, the professional hitman, retrieval specialist, and martial arts extraordinaire sat up and ate the noodles, to the pleasure of the girl and the horror of the others.
"He really is hardcore," Hardison mumbled.
"What a sweetheart," Sophie murmured.
Parker only grinned.