#but there were parts that were like how she felt about sophie or nate

[werewolfsmile]

tysm for answering my qs about werewolf!eliot !! not to keep bugging you lol but i remember you mentioned in the tags of a post one time about a hc/au of parker being some sort of fae or otherworldly being who’s just kinda found herself here in the non-magical world - could you elaborate on that? like how come she’s in the non-fantasy part of the leverage universe, or whether the other characters know, etc? only if you want to of course, no pressure :) i’m really enjoying reading your posts about all these ideas!

You're welcome! And you're definitely not bugging me, I love getting the chance to ramble about my thought lol (werewolf!eliot post here) (link to the post and my tags that started this)

Honestly I don't have as clear ideas for Parker as I did for Eliot, but I imagine her being some kind of changeling or air/wind sprite that was left with humans for whatever reason.

(ooh i'm getting more ideas for this the more i think about it..)

okay, Parker is actually half-fey, half-human

no one really knows who her parents were or how she came to be on her own (me included lol), she was just found on a doorstep as a baby

the people who took her in had their own issues and the state eventually intervened and sent Parker into foster care

she found out at a very early age that she was different to other kids - she could move around without making a sound, she could fit into tiny spaces - all very helpful for a young girl in a foster system that was chewing her up and spitting her out

she also discovered that she could ... not turn invisible exactly, but she could be less visible if she wanted to be; all she has to do is think about not being seen and people's eyes just drift over her

Archie had absolutely no idea what she was when he got his hands on her, but even he knew that she was beyond just a gifted child

he only realised there was something magical about her after she fell off the roof of the warehouse he'd been training her in - then walked it off like it was no biggie

fey creatures love puzzles and riddles, so of course Parker has always had a natural affinity for puzzles (aka locks)

her super artistic talent is a trait that is Entirely Parker and, given that she entered a life of crime early and was surrounded by artistic masterpieces all the time, she never even considered that other people would draw/paint/whatever with any lower skill level

this contributes to her not understanding what the fuss is over art

she gave herself the name Parker when Archie met her and asked her name; it was the first thing that came to mind

she doesn't remember her birth name and isn't bothered by that in the slightest

Eliot was the first of the team to figure out she was fey - being a werewolf, he can smell and/or sense that kind of thing on others

Hardison suspected something was up with her, but then felt bad for thinking that, but then strange things kept happening around her so he started to keep a list ...

pretty much Hardison has a red-string conspiracy theory-style board of Parker Things. He's too terrified of offending her to ask her outright, but he's more convinced every day

(he's also more in love with her and just thinks her fey-ness is another thing to celebrate)

Parker finds Hardison's board of Parker Things and is utterly fascinated. It's like he understands her better than she understands herself. He's super flustered when he finds her poring over the board and tries to make excuses, but Parker's quick to steamroll over that and demands if he knows what she is

Eliot finds them 15 mins later, stuck in an endless loop of confusion over which of them actually knows what Parker is

he just rolls his eyes, says she's half-fey, it's obvious, like, "what? it's a very distinctive smell!"

which leads to how the hell would he know what the fey are and Eliot's like, oh crap, right, they still don't know I'm a werewolf whoops

Hardison and Parker stage a coming-out for her to Nate and Sophie

(Eliot refuses to be involved but still gets roped into carrying the banner. He's still finding glitter in his hair weeks later)

Sophie is thrilled about the reveal and confesses to being a siren (or some other supernatural/magical creature that can manipulate people, idk i have less thoughts about her than i do about parker)

Nate is all like are you kidding me right now what the hell is my life

after a lot of badgering, he confesses he didn't know about Parker, although he has been ... aware of magical beings for some time

no he will not be discussing this any further, can we just get back to the con now??

Parker finds that, now she's aware of her fey-ness, her magical abilities develop further

she doesn't quite gain the ability to fly but ... yeah okay, she can pretty much fly

she wants to test how far this flying ability goes - by, of course, jumping off tall buildings with Hardison in her arms (and no harness for either of them)

Hardison flat out refuses this, so Eliot somehow finds himself the unwilling victim

of course, Parker masters flying while carrying people in no time and proves it to Hardison by just grabbing him and jumping off a building one day

(he's still in therapy for it)

Parker also discovers she can make herself kind of ... misty

this skill is harder to learn but she's already been able to make her hand go misty and whoosh inside a lock

picking the lock is harder in this incorporeal state but Parker's instincts say there's a way to do this, so she keeps practising until she can pretty much disintegrate herself and float through locked doors to rematerialise on the other side

it's a nightmare for the whole team because, sure, it's not like locked doors stopped her in the past. But now she's so excited about it all the time that any concept of privacy completely leaves her brain and she jumps in and out of rooms and safes etc any time of day or night

Wow. This ended up longer than expected! Guess I did have some ideas about fey!Parker after all..

[asphyxiatedredherring]

This is my gift for @fourdollarwords in the Leverage Gift Exchange! ( @leveragegiftexchange )

I decided to make a playlist of songs I felt fit the show in general, the thiefsome, and as well as each character!

It is quite a weird mix of music

I tried to keep it short, and some characters were easier to come up with more songs than others, but everyone got at least one.

Under the cut, I'll list each song and why I chose it. (It's sorted in categories as well as the order they appear on the spotify playlist, which I recommend listening to it in).

I hope you like it!

Nate:

Another Shot of Whiskey by The Gits - it's about drowning your problems in alcohol, I think we can all see the connection.

Behind Blue Eyes by The Who - the villain theme for the rock opera that never happened. The villain doesn't want to be the villain though, he was forced into that role and no one can see the grief that caused. It really lines up with Nate's story line.

Renegade by Styx - This is a song about a criminal who has been caught and is about to be executed. This song makes me think of The Maltese Falcon Job.

Well Respected Man by The Kinks - I think this represents the life Nate wanted for himself, Maggie, and their son where they are all happy and healthy but in reality Nate knows this is not how his life went and he is not this well respected man.

Breaking the Law by Judas Priest - the song seems to be about a man who was fired from his job so he started breaking the law. I'll let you draw those connections.

Alcohol by The Dropkick Murphys- he's an alcoholic from Boston what more can I say?

Sophie:

Who Do You Want to Be? by Oingo Boingo - its the art of the grift. Sophie makes herself into different people, deciding who she wants to be each day, everything is an act, a character maybe even losing herself along the way

What's Behind the Mask by The Cramps - as a grifter Sophie is always wearing a mask, Sophie isn't even her name. Her family wants to know what's behind her mask, let her know that she is safe to be herself.

Hardison:

Maneater by Hall & Oats - we know Hardison loves Hall & Oats. Best if listened to while Parker autism bites him.

Shout by Tears for Fears - I headcanon that Hardison loves synthpop and this song is a perfect example of that

Rebels With a Cause by The Dropkick Murphys - This song reminds me of the line where Nate calls Hardison "a 24 year old genius with a smartphone and problem with authority." He may have been ignored as a kid, but he's making a difference now. "Don't be angry with the kids Be angry with the greed."

Parker:

Runaway Train by Soul Asylum - I feel like this song really represents Parker's childhood

Never Go Hungry by Hole - I think Parker would have started with stealing food and this is like her internal monolog rationalizing it because stealing became a key part of her personality

Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addition - Stealing, simple as that. She's a thief. If she wants something she simply takes it. I think it's just a fun catchy song she'd like.

Eliot:

The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel - Despite their wishes, Eliot left his family and became a fighter just like the protagonist of the song. No matter how hard he tries to escape, the fighter remains. I could write an entire essay about how the story of this song and Eliot's story line up.

Guilt Within Your Head by The Gits - Eliot has so much guilt built up in his head over his past, being unable to forgive himself he created his own hell but he can escape it through forgiveness and redemption.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins - I feel like this song fits Eliot because like the song says Eliot still feels like he can not be saved and is trapped in a cage, despite how angry he is.

Rooster by Alice in Chains - Even though it's a song about the Vietnam War I feel like it can still represent Eliot's life, joining the military and his career as a hitter in which people are constantly coming to kill him, yet he won't die.

Harry:

Ironic by Alanis Morissette - I think Harry would love Alanis Morissette. Hands down. No further notes.

Breanna:

Just a Girl by No Doubt - People frequently underestimate Breanna and I think this feminist anthem conveys her anger with that.

Seasore by The Regrettes - "You're talkin to me like a child Hey I've got news, I'm not a little girl" So much of Breanna's character is wanting to prove herself, that she is capable and not just someone's kid sister and I think this song conveys the anger that comes with being underestimated and judged for your age or gender.

Youth Gone Wild by Skid Row - Breanna isn't interested in conforming to society's idea of what she should be. She has been called a problem child, but she doesn't care because she will stand tall and be herself.

The Thiefsome:

Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith - Hardison would think it's funny but Parker would latch on to it. I'll be citing the first episode for this one.

What I Like About You by The Romantics - I may be stretching this one but the parts of this song can be applied to aspects of the ot3 and them expressing their love for eachother. "Keep on whispering in my ear" fits Hardison talking to Eliot and Parker through the coms, "you really know how to dance" represents Parker's acrobatics and thief skills, and "you keep me warm at night" Eliot is a grounding presence for them at night and they love eachother.

Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls - they are all broken in their own way and it doesn't matter what the world thinks, just that they have eachother.

The Crew in General:

Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails - the people with power have the money and they aren't using it properly. But Leverage won't bow down despite what the mark wants. I just think this song encapsulates the anger they have with each mark and their desire to give the mark what they deserve.

And Justice for All by Metallica - I debated putting this song under Hardison but I think it could fit the whole crew. It's about how money has corrupted the justice system. The truth is gone but the crew is working to bring it to light and reinstall justice (in their own way).

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant - there is no rest for the wicked and no shortness of evil in the world which makes Leverage necessary. "The rich and powerful take what we want. We steal it back for you."

We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister - I think this song does well to represent how Leverage is fighting the system and the people that abuse it.

Take Back The Power by The Interrupters - I could also write an essay about this song and its correlation with Leverage but to boil it down, Leverage is working to fight the corruption of the world and fix what they can. They are taking back the power.

Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog - this is practically the Leverage theme song. "I don't mind stealin bread from the mouths of decadence But I can't feel on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled" It's a song about stealing from the rich, class divides, and how the rich get richer but the narrator refused to join them and would rather starve than be like the rich and feed on the poor.

The Men Who Rule The World by Garbage - a song about corruption, money, and violators, the very thing Leverage aims to destroy.

[hedgiwithapen]

DHD prompt: Five times that someone on the Leverage Crew faked their death, and one time someone didn't stay dead.

It was a slapped together plan in all of thirty seconds. Dammit, Hardison. Eliot thought, putting the microdetonator on an expired ketchup packet and attaching the whole mess to the underside of his shirt, too close to vital organs for real comfort. Hardison babbled in his ear that it was totally safe, that Sophie’s gun blanks were loud enough anyways that he could get away with just bursting the packets with his pecs. Eliot didn’t have time to tell him that that was not how things like muscles and faked gunshots worked. Next time, he decided as the O’hare goons dragged him into the warehouse, it was Hardison’s turn to be the dead guy. It went off fine, though, Nate’s mild panic hidden under his character’s much less mild panic. Eliot waited for Sophie’s heels to click their cue, then squeezed the detonator button he’d palmed, twisting to add more force than was really there.   He laid on the cold cement floor, like he’d left a hundred men before, only this time the blood was fake, until his team was there to signal an all clear. * Katherine Clive’s corner apartment exploded, and the minute stretched a hair too long before Sophie rejoined the team on the street.  Under any other circumstance, she’d have made a quip about something--fashionable arrivals, real estate value-- but her heart is still lodged in her throat. It’s not even grifting, staring up at the destruction. Katherine was dead now, and who mourns her? An ex-boyfriend, a fictitious mother? Sophie took the hand Nathan Ford offered her, jolted under the clap on the back from Parker. She nodded briskly. “Lets go catch my killer” *

Once, Parker had gone to a Birthday party for a child next door to her then-current foster placement. The cake had been good, the clown had not been, but the best thing had been the bounce house where she’d climbed up the inflatable walls to drop to the squishy floor again and again. Several of the kids played a game she didn’t know, but by watching thought maybe she understood.  Crack the egg, where one person huddled in a ball and tried not to move while everyone else bounced them higher and higher. It hadn’t looked like as much fun as falling from the top of the castle. Like the egg, she held perfectly still, the blue makeup on her lips and the purple around her neck an only barely annoying texture. She replayed a memory of stealing from the Louvre in her mind as she felt the mark, Vector, grabbing for her wrist and touching only the makeup covered pad made to hide her pulse from him, and did not move, not even to smile at the way his voice squeaked as he tried to call his lawyer and got Hardison’s tech instead.  Maybe Sophie was right, she thought. Death scenes are fun. * Rebecca Ibanz gave the tiniest of cries as she fell back against Michael Vittori, her fake Fiance, the man who would be president if this worked, a man who would be dead for real if this didn’t. The fake blood was warm from the packet being so close to her skin, and it spread over her blouse. She had always loved the top, but sacrifices had to be made. Sophie did not sigh, keeping her upper body stiff in supposed death. Her part was over now, the coaching and the guiding, leading the candidate to be his best self for these people.  Any minute now, Nate would make his deal with Rivera, and Moreau would find himself locked in the same dungeons he had used to cage too many. Michael spoke, raw shock in his voice as he used everything she had taught him to move the crowd and sway Rivera’s soldiers to his side. Pride tipped the edges of her lips, not enough for anyone to see. She wanted to tell him how proud she was. She never could, of course. Michael was too honest a man, too honorable. He would crack under the pressure of the lie, if he knew. Suddenly, Sophie felt a twinge of shame, something no grifter can ever afford. He was a good man, and he would go one thinking that she had died for him. Well. Some sacrifices had to be made. * One of these days, Eliot thought, he was going to have to take the day off and make a batch of fake blood that tasted good. The stuff on his lips now was far too sweet, pure corn syrup.  He staggered, as rehearsed, collapsing onto Kanic’s shoulder, letting his eyes unfocus as he brought an end to his scripted mutterings about probes and alien ships and unearthly suffering. That part took more willpower than making his breath go shallow or easing back the beat of his heart. Eliot hated not being able to see with absolute clarity everything going on, almost as much as he hated margarine and sickly sweet fake blood. Kanic scampered, abandoning him in hopes of saving himself from the horrors that “Lenny” had promised awaited him. Eliot waited until he was gone, and from the noise down the hall, truly panicked, then lightly got to his feet and left. He needed to spit this sugar garbage out. *

“Dammit Hardison,” Eliot said, counting off beats in his head. He felt a rib give way, the distinctive snap echoing in his ears. “Absolutely not, you do not get to die on us.” his wrists and elbows ached as he forced Hardison’s heart to keep blood circulating. Parker stood by, ready to take over if she needed too, or to flag down the EMTs that had to be on the way by now. The portable AED gave a chirp, and Eliot rocked back on his heels, staying clear. Hardison might have had a heart rhythm once again, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

Scream at me in the discord: https://discord.gg/9cKfGc7b

[geekynightowl1997]

Okay, so I finished re-watching Leverage Season 1... well minus The Second David Job, but I remember alot of that episode.(just to make sure I have everything semi-correct. Obviously my goal is to have ALL correct- but I am aware that I miss things.)

So- let's talk Leverage and Leverage Redemption. Let's discuss the characters, cons, and just- everything shall we?

As many of you know- my favorites hand down are Eliot, Hardison, and Parker. There's just something safe and comforting about their friendship/relationship. There is just something easy going about the three. From the very beginning- they worked together effortlessly. They connected well with each other and you don't see that a lot. Each of them had their part to play and they didn't overstep the boundaries of each other. Like Hardison didn't play the hitter or thief- that wasn't his job. Eliot didn't play the thief or hacker nor did Parker play the hitter or hacker. And if they did- isn't wasn't to take control; it was because they were in a jam and desperate to get the team out safely.

Now- Nate, Sophie, and Harry are my next favorite. Nate was definitely the drunk dad. However- he wasn't dangerous and Sophie did an excellent job of keeping him in line. Would he make snide remarks at times? Absolutely. Did he push to hard at times? Yes he did. But if you think about it- it was good for this ragtag team. Nate knew what they could do- what he wanted to know was- what was their breaking point. How far could he push- before they all had enough? (I'm pretty they each had their moments- but like Eliot said once; "Nobody tells me to walk away. I decide that.") Nate was a good mastermind. Sophie is definitely the annoyed/exasperated mom. Not only does she have to cut off unnecessary arguments between the children- but she has to deal with a drunk father. She's good with people. Knowing what they want and how to give it to them. That's her job to know people. It's how she's survived so long. Harry is definitely the struggling uncle. This man doesn't know where he fully stands. All he knows is; he's done a lot of bad in this world- and he wants to be redeemed. What better way then to be a good bad guy. If Nate see's the world in black and white- than Harry see's it in shades of grey with blobs of color.

Now- I don't know how you all feel- BUT I'm not a huge fan of Breanna. For me- she's like that annoying cousin that follows the older cousins. She's just too much all at once. I understand that she wants to prove herself- but she just felt like she took over the whole room. It wasn't that she didn't have anything to bring to the table- it's just... she was a lot. ( I don't know how else to describe it.)

Over all- I love Leverage and I'm on the fence about Leverage Redemption. I love how they all work together. How it's literally a family.

I love how they don't know how to work together- but still seem flawless at working together. I love that easy going banter between the OT3. How Eliot allows Parker to poke, prode, and put hats on him. How Parker feels safe around Eliot. I love how Hardison and Eliot respect Parker. Sure she might be crazy- but only they can say that. Only Eliot can say that Parker has something wrong with her. That Hardison understands Parker? I love that! The way Hardison isn't really that upset with Eliot whenever he does geek speak and Eliot is all huffy. Or how Hardison does his own way of poking and proving Eliot. (I love these three your honor! I do.)

I love how Eliot isn't afraid to call Nate out. How Nate isn't afraid to push... as long as he puts himself in the same position. I love how they aren't huge fans of Sophie's acting- but are impressed with her acting. I love how they get so use to each other.

I love how they don't mind ribbing each other! The ribbing doesn't even change when Harry and Breanna join. They all do it. It's what makes them a family.

The cons are just as flawless as the characters. There are certain episodes that resonates with me. Just like there are episodes that resonate with you all. And they just give me hope that everything will be okay. The Low Low Low Price Job and The Belly of the Beast Job are the two that affect me the most. Though they aren't my favorites. Still, they pull it off and it gives me hope. Makes me feel all fuzzy and warm. Their criminals- and their looking out for the little guy. Watching the team actually care about the clients helps humanize them.

Lastly- I love their quips. The quotes they say. I can't tell you how many times I quote the team. Between things like; "No stabbing." To "You think she dresses like a nun for no reason?" "It's Parker." To "Not Lucille! Get that look outta your eye." To "Parker made me do it." To "You do trust me, don't you Eliot?" To the more heartfelt ones like: "We are all addicts! We are addicted to our past!" And "Depends on the torture, depends on the man." And "I'm not crazy!" (I can't think of any Harry and Breanna quotes at the moment.)

Watching this show- it makes me feel like I'm part of the team. It makes me feel like I'm apart of the family. And I so want to be.

Finally, Leverage is the literal definition of the saying; "Blood of the covenant is strong than the water of the womb."

If anybody ever asks me for a found family recommendation: Leverage is it!

Thoughts anyone?

[alinaandalion]

👀 (if you're still sharing snippets)

from a nonlinear fic i've been poking at for years where sophie's past comes back to haunt the team:

She could feel him studying her as if he didn’t quite believe her when she said she was fine, so she finally sighed and conceded.

“Okay, so I might have a bit of a bruise from Hardison’s explosive material,” she said with a roll of her eyes.  “But Eliot already checked me over and it’s nothing serious, Nate.”

“Show me,” he said, putting his glass down on the coffee table and scooting across the couch to sit right beside her.

She raised an eyebrow.  “What?”

“Show me,” and this time his tone was more demanding, and he definitely had to be drunk since he was reaching toward her like he meant to unzip her dress himself.

“Okay.”  She shifted a bit, uncurling her legs and settling her feet on the floor as she reached her hands back and pulled the zipper midway down her back, just enough to slip the sleeve off her left shoulder.

Which she did, looking away when Nate bent closer, fingers brushing against her skin just to the right of the purpling bruise.  She winced from the contact, more out of surprise than any actual discomfort, and to her shock, Nate didn’t pull away, just moved his hand to curl around her bare shoulder.

She looked up at him then, and in between the whiskey dimming her good sense and the lingering heady adrenaline from their success, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.  It wasn’t a proper kiss, merely an invitation that she waited a moment to see if he would take her up on.  He didn’t move, forehead wrinkling as he stared down at her, and just as she started to regret her impulsive move, he tucked his right forefinger under her chin and kissed her properly.

They started slow, almost timid, but they had the time.  But then she felt his tongue press against her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, hands coming up to rake through his messy curls as he pressed her against the couch.

and...an extra little snippet from that same harry fic, just for you:

Later, when they’re walking through the Ogden Museum, Maggie asks, “Exactly how much do you know about my relationship with the others?”

Harry pauses, a little surprised that it’s taken until now to come up, and he says, “Honestly, not that much.  I didn’t even know you were Nate’s ex-wife until I made the wrong assumption.”

“Sophie told me about that,” she says with a small laugh.  “And after you found that out?”

“I didn’t really want to pry,” he says even as he looks away.  “I only know a little bit about Nate’s past before them, and that’s because I went looking for it because I was trying to figure them out.  Anything else, well.  I ask if they start talking about something I don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean they actually explain half the time.”

Maggie’s expression changes to something he’s seen on Sophie’s face a lot in the past year, part fondness, part grief, and she says, “Well, they come by that honestly, at least.”

“So I’ve heard,” he replies with a slight smile.  He hesitates, for a moment, then dives in.  “If you want to talk about it, we can.”

Maggie nods and looks away for a moment before saying, “I don’t know if I’ve ever really talked about it with anyone before.  It seems odd, but the others, they were so used to being around Nate that they knew him and enough of the story.  And I also always felt that they didn’t quite know what to say.”

“It’s different when you don’t have kids yourself,” Harry says quietly, thinking of the team and how little they’ve asked about Becky.  Enough to be aware of what’s happening but still insistent on keeping a wide distance.  “Not bad, but different.”

ask post is here

[original-missif]

The Hitter Job, Extended Edition: Chapter 3 Sneak Peek

I'm posting a sneak peek because I've hit the wall of creativity and need to shovel my way under it so in the mean time here's a sneak peek!

Alec Hardison was terrified.

It’s weird. He wasn’t normally scared when they did jobs. He was a master of his craft, an artisan of the keyboard, the team’s escape artist. He was the rope that kept them from falling on the high jump. It was his job to watch from the sky and keep the team safe from the unexpected. That was his element, and it was hard to get scared when he was normally in his element. But on jobs where he ended up getting a little too close to the action? When he was away from the keyboard and ended up running through the street? Then he got scared. Of course he did, what kinda person wouldn’t be terrified putting their life at risk the way Eliot and Parker did way too frequently?

But this feeling? The terror and sheer panic Hardison felt upon finally meeting Damien Moreau? This feeling right now was a whole new and terrible kind of terrifying.

They’re dead, is what Hardison thought as he and Eliot were escorted down that elevator and into that pool room. They were dead men walking, Moreau was going to kill them, Nate and Sophie would never know what happened of them, and Parker…

Alec really, truly tried not to think about what Parker would do when she found out he and Eliot were dead. He just prayed to God she got away safe.

Meeting Moreau, the criminal mastermind they’d been chasing for around six months now, was an experience Hardison would never forget. How could he, when it turned out Eliot knew Moreau, had worked for Moreau, and never thought it was worth mentioning?

Then Alec was suddenly being escorted – alone, by himself – out of the hotel and back onto the street he and Eliot had been taken from, given a USB with information about the auction of the Ram’s Horn, and told to leave.

Alec had never run faster in his life. He made it back to the motel the Leverage team made its HQ in thirty minutes.

“Hardison, wh-?” Sophie barely got his name out before Alec threw himself into her arms as he cried. She shot a bewildered look to Nate before gently putting her arms around Hardison, holding him close. “Alec… sweetheart it’s alright. Whatever it is it’s alright.”

Hardison shook his head and sucked in a desperate breath, but the words stuck in his throat. “No, no it’s not. It- it’s…”

Sophie quietly shushed him as she rubbed circles into his back. “Easy Alec, easy. Take a deep breath in, and a long breath out.” She took a deep breath as Hardison copied her, held it, and then exhaled slowly like he’d seen her do with her theatre students.

Once his breathing had slowed and the tears of panic and frustration dried, Sophie eased him off her shoulder to look him in the eye. He was just over an inch taller than her now.

“There you go, sweetheart. Now, tell us what happened. Where’s Eliot?”

Taking a deep breath, and a tissue from the box Parker offered him, Hardison said, “He’s with Moreau.”

He told them of how he and Eliot had been on their way back from casing out the hotel Moreau was rumored to have been staying in, and how the two of them had been escorted by an armed man to the sublevel pool room after Eliot was recognized. He told them about how Moreau was surprised to see them, two teenagers had apparently been part of the collapse of his empire, and near fury Hardison had seen in Moreau’s eye that Eliot specifically was part of the cause.

Hardison told them everything, how Moreau hadn’t even spared him a glance when he and Eliot had been forced into that pool room. How Moreau gave backhanded compliments and spoke at Eliot like he was a disappointed parent. The way Hardison’s own heart dropped as he heard Moreau say to Eliot “You’ll attend the auction with me, of course. As a show of faith that your, ah, temporary employer upholds his end of the deal”, just as Alec was escorted out of the room.

Hardison held up the USB, “The guy who walked me out of there gave me this. Said it has everything we’d need for the auction and then told me to scram. I ran here as fast as I could.”

Handing the USB to Nate, Hardison took a very welcomed seat on the couch. “Eliot knows Moreau. He…he used to work for him. I don’t know how long ago he stopped, or even how Eliot got away from Moreau, or…if he even ever stopped working for him but Eliot knows him. Like, knows him knows him.”

The man had been silent as Hardison told the team what had happened and how he and Eliot had gotten separated, but Hardison could see the way Nate’s jaw had set. He could see the calm anger in Nate’s eyes as he stared at the USB, almost strikingly like the cold, calm anger Hardison had seen in Moreau’s eyes as he’d looked at Eliot.

“A piece trade,” Nate muttered. “Okay. Hardison,” Nate turned to face the boy, the calm anger Hardison had seen in his eye replaced with the determined, mastermind gaze the team was more familiar with. “Parker and I got the schematics for the Ram’s Horn, I want you to look them over, make sure the Ram’s Horn at the auction is legitimate.”

Parker handed him the tablet depicting the schematics as Nate continued.

“Sophie -”

“Nate we’re not going to even talk about this?” Sophie interrupted, stark terror and disbelief written on her face and in her voice. “That Eliot lied to us? That he knows Moreau so personally? He and Alec could have been killed down there and we’d never have known! And now Moreau’s taken Eliot hostage? How can you be so calm when Eliot could be-!”

“Sophie!” Nate gently cupped Sophie’s face with his hands as he looked her in the eye. “Listen to me. Eliot is going to be alright. We are going to stop the auction, take down Moreau, and we are going to bring Eliot back home. I promise. But we need to deal with this auction first before we go save Eliot. He’ll be fine until then. Moreau won’t hurt him.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sophie nearly whispered.

“Because if he knows Eliot as well as Hardison says, then Moreau knows how valuable he is. Eliot is worth more as a hostage than anything else right now.” He moved his hands to Sophie’s shoulders. “Eliot will be alright, so the first thing we need to focus on is the auction and how we can stop it.”

“So we can buy a bomb?”

Nate and Sophie turned to the couch to look at Hardison. A look of abject horror was written on his young face as he stared at the schematics on the tablet.

“Pardon me?” Nate said.

“The Ram’s Horn,” Hardison clarified, looking Nate in the eye. “It’s a bomb. A pretty big one too.”

[eggy-tea]

Throughout Leverage, we see Hardison and Parker doing very coupley things. The one that really stands out to me is when they dance together. My question is, do you think that in 2.0 they should give Eliot and Parker those kinds of moments as well. Not that I wouldn't enjoy Hardison and Eliot having soft, obvious coupley moments. But i always feel like they could've done more to show Eliot/Parker in a more romantic light. (1)

We get Eliot and Hardison having their dates (Gone fishing) singing in Lucille. The hugs between them. But besides The Long Way Down job, we don't get a lot of soft moments (imo) between Eliot and Parker. And I'm certainly not trying to judge how Hardison and Parker relationship vs Eliot and Parker, etc. They all love one another. I just want soft moments between them. Even when it's all of them together. (2)

My feelings on this are complicated. Because on the one hand, it’s an easy answer. I love soft Eliot, and I will always want more of him. With Hardison, with Parker, with them both together… I would give a lot to see Eliot in Leverage 2.0 getting caught in the act of being soft and instead of throwing up a barrier to hide those soft parts of himself (so much of his life, it wasn’t safe to let them show), he leans into it, just exuding waves of “Yeah, and so what? These are my people and I love them. Deal with it.”

And Eliot and Parker together are great and I love the moments that we did get. But I agree that the big ones aren’t light moments. Hardison and Eliot scenes are fun and bantery and just a joy to watch, and the big Eliot/Parker scenes are the cave in The “Long Way Down Job” and Eliot teaching Parker to feel the emotion in his food in “The French Connection Job” — literally showing her how to look for and be receptive to the emotion that other people put into the things they do. Day to day, Parker and Eliot together are efficient and effective and comfortable, jokey and pokey, but when Parker really needs Eliot? It’s heavy stuff, because he can bear the weight.

The difficulty with Eliot/Parker fluff is, Parker’s not a particularly fluffy person most of the time, and one of Eliot’s defining features is that he’ll always give his people what they need from him before ever even considering what he himself might want or need. I suspect, most of the time, Parker reaches her fluffiness limit interacting with Hardison; she’s not going to want a lot more of that from Eliot. Instead, she needs Eliot to be solid and grumbly and sarcastic and a bit pointy, so she can let that sharper side of herself free as well. (It’s not that Hardison intentionally stifles Parker’s sharpness — he would never want to do that — it’s that she doesn’t want to be that person around him because she doesn’t want to risk cutting him on her sharp edges.)

And that’s hard for Eliot too, in some ways, because I see him as very much a thwarted romantic. Part of the reason he’s so good at picking up romantic partners is that he’s got a knack for seeing what people want and giving it to them. But another part of it is that he had the most traditional upbringing of the three — he’s steeped in society’s expectations, can navigate and wield those expectations to his advantage. He knows the forms and unspoken language of the culture. But he’s still bound by all that, too. Eliot’s got a very deep sense of “how things are done” that was absolutely shaped by where and when and how he grew up, and he’s never quite been able to shake it. So as much as he’ll show Parker love in whatever way she needs of him, deep down, there’s a part of him that wants to go on proper dates and surprise his partners with flowers and chocolates and taken them to fancy restaurants, and, and, and…

The problem is, Parker might accept those things and appreciate them in her own way, but they’re not really what she wants (apart from the chocolate, give her all of the chocolate, Eliot, please), and so Eliot would be doing those things mostly for himself. And the problem with that is, Parker wouldn’t respond “correctly,” she wouldn’t be following the proper social script, so it wouldn’t even be satisfying to Eliot in that way. Eliot’s attempts at romancing Parker would just end with them both frustrated, so he’s not gonna go there. He’ll save those impulses for Hardison.

What I can see: Quiet moments where they’re just there for each other with steadying touches and strong, open arms. Watching Hardison together and sharing a look of “I can’t believe how much I love this guy.” Eliot cooking special meals just for Parker, and then just melting when Parker takes a bite, smiles, and says, “I love you, too.” And singing. Eliot with his guitar singing soft and low and so, so sweet, and Parker just still as the feelings wash over her — his, hers — and sometimes she starts crying but it’s good crying, she didn’t even know about good crying before she met Hardison and Eliot. The kind of crying that makes you feel better afterwards. That leaves you feeling open and washed clean and lighter than air, like you don’t even need a climbing rig to go soaring up into the rafters. And when Eliot finishes a song, they always share a smile, the one that’s just for them, that says all the things that get tangled up so easily in words.

God, I want that. I want that so much.

[fandomfoodiedancer]

The stitch up job

Summary: trying to mend Eliot after a fight, you try not to think about your feelings for him, when all he wants to tell you is how he feels.

Word count: 1000 ish

Warnings: Eliot Spencer. That's it. He counts as a warning. Oh and stitches if that makes you uncomfortable.

A/N: I am in love with Eliot and have a huge amount of inspiration today. If anyone isn't sure, the TV show is Leverage and I highly recommend it!

A quiet gasp was the only sound in the room as you sat beside Eliot on the lounge, dabbing at his cut eyebrow. As always, there were unexpected problems with the job, and when everyone got back to Nate's apartment, it was your job to stitch them up. Or at least, stitch up Eliot as he was usually the only one to get hurt, as was the case tonight.

When Sophie found you a year ago, you were having a really rough time. She took you in along with the others and soon you were working with them all as part of the team. Mostly you acted as the glue that held them all together, making food when Eliot was exhausted, picking up skills from all of them, helping with anything they needed and being a shoulder for all of them to cry on, or even just vent to. They were your family, but with Eliot, you couldn't help but wish it was more. Part of you felt guilty about wanting more, after all he was about 10 years older than you. That's why you felt he could never love you back, believing he thought of you as only a little sister or friend. With that thought, you focused on the task at hand. All you needed to do now was stitch the cut on his chest.

“Can you take your shirt off? I need to stitch the cut on your chest.” You internally face palmed, feeling like you sounded stupid, but he just smiled, wincing as he shrugged his shirt off. You tried hard not to stare at the most beautiful man you'd ever laid eyes on.

Knowing from experience that it would be harder to stitch from beside him, you straddled his hips and tried hard not to blush, soaking a cotton ball in antiseptic. Handing him a pillow to squeeze with his left hand, you gently dabbed the cut going from his chest across to his right shoulder, feeling him gasp and tense as you did.

“m'sorry it hurts so much” You mumbled as you wiggle closer to him whilst attempting to thread the needle.

“It's all good sweetheart, I'm just lucky your the one patching me up” He smiled whilst staring at you, making you blush as you forced yourself to remember that he didn't feel the same way. You tried to smile back, but the stupid needle wouldn't thread. As Eliot took a long draw from the bottle of whiskey beside him to dull the pain, you finally got he needle threaded.

“This is going to hurt sorry, but I'll be as gentle as I can. Plus, the good news is I've learnt better since last time” you attempted to sound reassuring as you remembered how patchy your sutures were last time.

Bracing himself, Eliot put a wad of paper towels in his mouth, squeezing the pillow and nodding to you before looking away. You'd hoped that after the initial stitch the pain would ebb a bit for him, but it only seemed to get worse. Trying to take his mind off the pain and distract him a bit, you said the first thing that came to mind.

“Well, the good news is, when this is all healed you can go out on another date with that girl you picked up from the bar the other day.”

“Yeah, I don't think that'd be a good idea” you tried to stifle a laugh. As smooth as Eliot could be, he also fucked up royally with women at times. You thought this was the case, but wanted to keep him distracted.

“Really? What happened this time?”

“Well it's my fault really. I've got feelings for someone else”

You felt your heart drop into your stomach as a dull ache formed. Of course there was someone. Why wouldn't there be? Still, you didn't want him to know how disappointed you felt, so you plastered a cheeky smile on you face as you kept the stitches tight.

“Oh really? The great womanizer has feelings for someone? I'll bite. Who is it?”

“Well, let's just say she's gorgeous. She's the most beautiful person I know. Hot on the outside too” He winked at you. You felt dead on the inside. “ she likes to cook too. And she does this thing where she hides her feelings to look after everyone else, but I'm lucky enough that she usually lets me in”

You didn't look up. If you did, you would have seen how softly he was looking at you, the awe in his gaze as he smiled despite his pain. Your heart hurt, but you couldn't let this go.

“And does this mystery woman have a name?”

“Yes she does”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Y/n”

“Yes?”

“...”

He blinked

You blinked

“Are you going to tell me her name?”

“You know, you are the most beautiful but incredibly dense person I know.”

“Thank you? I don't really know how to take that.” He chuckled despite his pain and kept silent as you neared the end of the stitches. After a moment he broke the silence as you tied the thread off.

“Say there was a guy, who is a fair bit older than you, but he really really cared about you. He’s even scared shit-less as he actually thinks he loves you. Would you give him a chance?”

You froze. The vulnerability in his voice told you this wasn't a hypothetical, or even an example. He was serious. This was real. You went over the conversation from a moment ago.

     Are you going to tell me?

     Y/n

You cut the thread. You heart was frozen solid, but his was beating fast enough for the both of you, as he held his breathe, waiting for a response. Looking him deep in the eyes, you felt a huge wave of emotions crash over you. You looked at his lips, and slowly lent down to graze your lips on his. Pulling back slightly to look back in his eyes, you checked this really was happening. His left hand reached up and gently held the side of you neck as he brought you back in for a searing kiss.

@immrbrightsideeee​  @wontlastimokwiththat​ @wannabemarlenabutiscoraline​

[pynkhues]

SOPHIE!!!! TELL ME MORE!!!!

Okay okay okay, LOOK.

Let's start with Roman.

Roman Roy

Well, for starters, in canon, he definitely had some weird pseudo sexual relationship with his personal trainer in s1 (did his pt jerk him off like Gerri asks him in 2.07??) and 100% would've had a threesome (well, tried to have a threesome) with Lawrence and his boyfriend if there was more of an opening.

Putting that aside though, I think when he was learning that he wasn't necessarily that into p in v sex, he would've pretty desperately and chaotically explored, well, options, y'know?

After all, a teenaged Roman would definitely want to know why Stacey Baker sticking her hand down his pants at summer camp made him want to fling himself into the sun.

(If anyone was to ever ask, it would definitely be because her parents only ran the third biggest bank in America, and his dick has standards, okay)

So he, y'know, fooled around with guys, and the luxury of being out at boarding school in the middle of Tennessee while Shiv and Kendall were stuck with dad in Manhattan meant he could do it really whenever he wanted.

And he did.

A lot.

Guys and girls and people who were both or neither, whoever, Roman didn't care. What Roman wanted was the experience, and what he wanted was to - - y'know. Get off. Like a Norrmal.

And he did even if he wasn't ever entirely comfortable. Managed to grit teeth through it, and he maybe was never really into the sex part of it, but he liked the stuff around sex. Liked the flirting and the tension and the touching and the way he could move someone. Liked the way they could make him move too.

And honestly, he worked out pretty quickly that what someone was packing didn't really matter.

Nah, what was more interesting, what made it more fun, what got the heat pooling low in him was the kinda weird shit. The not taboo, but maybe taboo when you're fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and getting a little friendly with players on the opposite team, or the freak in the mascot costume, or your siblings' friend, or the college work experience kid is sorta something that gets you talked about.

(And come on, Roman'll be the first to admit getting talked about gets him off).

And it escalated as he got older – through college and into the real world – only when he was seeing dad on the regular again, there became this other layer of it too.

The sort of parallel need to have someone on his arm that dad would like.

Fuck, after Kendall brought home Rava - - then it became an even bigger deal. So Roman started dating girls like her, and almost-fucking other people - weirdos his dad would hate - loud women with buzzcuts and leg hair, and guys that work for Sandy Furness, and, shit, better, guys who work for him. Guys who work for Kendall.

(Also, okay, Nate, once).

Anyone he can talk loud and fast with, who can jerk off beside him and know that saying they fucked a Roy will be better than the truth, so will spin their stories and keep Roman's reputation exactly where he wants it.

Keep him being talked about in just the way he wants to be.

Shiv Roy

I mean, she canonically has sex with women as seen by her attempts to have a threesome with one in 2.10

And come on, party girl Shiv Roy? She had a rep of her own once upon a time, before Tom anyway.

Okay, after Tom too.

It's not like it's a thing. Shiv just likes to get off, and half the time, women are better for that anyway. Better at least than the corporate cocksucks and limpdicked liberals she meets in her real life anyway.

Hell, that's even how it started in a lot of ways. Back when she was at Spence. There were no guys around except her brothers' friends or dad's colleagues' sons, who all had 0 appeal, and enough girls stared at her at school anyway, and Shiv just figured - - well, it was experience, right?

And so what if she liked the way Mandy Menkle chewed on her pencil, or her skin felt like it was on fire every time Lyla Curtin pressed her arm, her thigh, against her's in the yearbook committee meetings?

It really wasn't a thing.

But Lyla's her first kiss, but Mandy's her first everything else, and sometimes Shiv daydreams about them living in Paris together. Bohemians like Djuna Barnes.

Of having her cake and eating it too.

But y'know, then she caught Mandy totally embarrassing herself in front of Stewy at her birthday party, and it's not like it was a betrayal or - - god, a rejection, because they weren't ever anything like that, but still. Shiv had called it, and figured she'd outgrown the phase anyway.

Or not really, because college was a whirlwind of guys and then when they got boring, girls, and then both at the same time, and Shiv rolled between them but always made sure she left before she could really feel anything.

And then she was working in politics and fucking around with Nate, and she met Lisa at a fundraiser, and she didn't chew on pencils like Mandy Menkle, and she definitely wasn't like any of the women at college or at the clubs, so maybe that's why waking up in bed with her the next morning already felt like trouble.

Felt like it even more when Lisa kept in touch.

When Nate did.

Even more so when that cornfed guy she met at a Waystar mixer did too, all teeth and earnestness.

Vaguely Shiv remembered Paris fantasies, of having her cake and eating it too, and she thought no, not a reality.

(Or maybe it was. after all, she's her father's daughter, and didn't her father raise her to know reality was what youmade it?)

Kendall Roy

Again, starting canonically, one of his first scenes in the entire series involves him offering to blow Lawrence to make the deal go through, so the Roy bros are definitely gay for Lawrence, I think we can all jot that down.

But okay okay okay, Kendall Roy is straight.

Mostly.

Not really.

Maybe not at all? I mean, come on, expecting this guy to have even the vaguest clue of any part of himself is Not Realistic, but y'know, he can kind of admit to sometimes thinking about Stewy - - or - - y'know what, no he can't.

Not even when they're fucking.

It's not that he's homophobic, but also his dad has this plan for him and Kendall wants to do the Plan. The Plan's important to dad which means it's important to Kendall, and a big part of that Plan is get married, have kids, preserve the Roy family line, because the first born's not - - y'know

Producing an heir.

And he loves Rava, he really does, because she's beautiful and smart and funny and she touches him gently which is something Kendall never thought he needed (still doesn't want to need, not really, not ever), but the heir isn't coming, and the drugs aren't working as well anymore, and sometimes what Kendall needs is Stewy's mouth and Stewy's body and all the ways Stewy knows him.

The worst him.

The him he doesn't like that Stewy for some reason still does, and it's not that he's gay or bi or whatever (even though, okay, maybe sometimes he thinks about other guys too, but who doesn't?) it's just - -

They're just his people. Stewy and Rava. Other people have people. He's allowed to have them too, right?

Connor Roy

I mean, not to stereotype here, but his mom ran a dance charity.

Connor was around artsy people, so Connor - - y'know, he'd say he was around people of all types and predilections from a pretty young age, thank you very much.

And y'know, Connor isn't adverse to sampling.

In fact, Connor would even say it was important. He likes the finer things - his parents raised him to be worldly after all, and a part of being worldly is being open to experiences.

Although to be honest, the opportunity never really presented itself.

Not for lack of trying of course, he was in college in the 80s, so y'know, he was exposed to certain Things.

It's more that he sort of always ended up distracted, or the guys wandered off, or only wanted to talk about his dad, which honestly is still a bit of a turn off to this day. He doesn't get why the golden trio are so into it.

Anyway, it wasn't until he really got into Napoleonic history that the thought to explore really took hold for him though, because Napoleon might not have approved of homosexuality personally, but he appointed Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès his First Consul, and he was openly gay and decriminalised homosexuality in France, and y'know, that really got Connor thinking.

Thinking he should play Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès in the Napoleonic Society re-enactment of the writing of the Napoleonic Code.

(He could play Napoleon of course, but honestly, Connor's simply too peaceful and moderate to play the leader. His right hand though? Pretty great. Also he's too tall to play Napoleon).

He gets the part, of course, and he's method, y'know, so talks to the production coordinator about how to really lean in to the role, and long story short, there's a bit of a Connor-instigated circle jerk backstage.

Whatever, they're all into it, and Connor thinks he probably prefers feminine hands on his dick generally, but there's a certain appeal in the grip and technique, and he forces the cast and crew into a debrief that makes everyone want to melt through the floor.

But still, they don't exactly stop doing it, and Connor's always down to make the day a little better.

Logan Roy

Look, Logan's done whatever he's had to to get where he is.

He was born with nothing, but long ago decided that he wouldn't die with it.

But still, he's fucked around less than people think. He likes the relationships he's had, and he's never been the sort to get his rocks off just for the fucking sake of it (nah, that's all Ewan).

The way he's always wanted it, liked it, is with people who just sort of - - fuck.

Fit with him.

Connor's mother, Caroline, Marcia, Rhea.

He doesn't cheat for the sake of cheating, he cheats because something feels real, and what's sex when something feels real? A handshake really.

Get off and leave something behind.

Live inside the other person for a bit, a lifetime, who cares. Just occupy a space for a moment.

And that's the thing with Gerri and Frank.

They've known each other for a really long time, more than forty years now, and Gerri and Logan fucked it out of their system long ago, but she's also never really wavered.

Frank though, he's there then he's not, he's an ally, a backstabber, the greatest friend and the most knowing of enemies, and okay, so maybe something that started off as a few quick strokes back in '86, has been a process of swings and roundabouts over the years.

Never real sex, never really more than hands, but Logan would be lying if he said he didn't know the texture of Frank's palm, or the weight of him in his hand.

Whatever, it's business, it's sex, it's sometimes the only way Logan knows how to communicate any sort of intimacy.

Frank gets it.

(Frank feels it too)

[vickyvicarious]

Leverage Redemption Pros/Cons List

Okay! Now that I've finally finished watching the first half of Leverage: Redemption, I thought I'd kind of sum up my overall impression. Sort of a pro/con list, except a little more just loosely structured rambles on each bullet point rather than a simple list.

This got way out of hand from what I expected so I'm going to put it all under a cut. If you want the actual bulletpoint list, here it is:

PROS

References

Continuity

Nate

Representation

Themes

New Characters

General Vibe

CONS

'Maker and Fixer'

Episode Twins

Sophie's Stagefright

Thiefsome

You might notice the pros list is longer, and that's because I do love the show! I really like most of what it does, and my gripes are fewer in number and mostly smaller in size. But they do exist and I felt like talking about them as well as the stuff I loved.

PROS

References

There is clearly so much love and respect for the original show here. Quite aside from the general situation, there's a lot of references to individual episodes or character traits from the first show. For example, Parker's comments on disliking clowns, liking puppets, disliking horses, stabbing vs. tasing people. The tasing was an ongoing thing in the original, the stabbing happened once (S1) but was referenced later in the original show, the clown thing only had a few mentions scattered across the entire original show. The puppet thing was mentioned once in S5, and the horses thing in particular was only brought up in S1 once. But they didn't miss the chance to put the nod to it in there; in fact with those alone we see a good mix of common/ongoing jokes and smaller details.

We got "dammit Hardison" and "it's a very distinctive..." but also Eliot and Parker arguing about him catering a mob wedding, and Eliot being delighted by lemon as a secret ingredient in a dish in that same episode (another reference to the mob episode). Hardison and Eliot banter about "plan M", an ongoing joke starting from the very first episode of the original show. We see Sophie bring up Hardison's accent in the Ice Job, Parker also makes reference to an early episode when describing "backlash effect" to Breanna, in an episode that also references her brother slightly if you look for it.

Heck, the last episode of these first eight makes a big deal out of nearly reproducing the iconic opening lines of the original show with Fake Nate's "we provide... an advantage." And I mean, all the "let's go steal a ___" with Harry being confused about how to use them.

Some of the lines are more obviously references to the original show, but they strike a decent balance with smaller or unspoken stuff as well, and also mix in some references between the team to events we the audience have never seen. If someone was coming into this show for the first time, they wouldn't get all the easter egg joy but most of the references would stand on their own as dialogue anyway. In general, I think they struck a good balance of restating needed context for new viewers while still having enough standalone good lines and more-fun-if-you-get-it callbacks.

Continuity

Similar to the last point, but slightly different. The characters' development from the original to now is shown so well. I'm not going to go on about this too long, but the writers clearly didn't want to let the original characters stagnate during the offscreen years. There was a lot of real thought put into how they would change or not.

It's really written well. We can see just how cohesive a team Parker, Hardison, and Eliot became. We get a sense of how they've spent their time, and there's plenty of evidence that they remained incredibly close with Sophie and Nate until this past year. The way everyone defers to Parker is different from the original show and clearly demonstrates how she's been well established as the leader for years now - they show this well even as Parker is stepping back to let Sophie take point in these episodes. Eventually that is actually called out by Sophie in the eighth episode, so we might see more mastermind Parker in the back half of the show, maybe. But even with her leading, it's clear how collaborative the team has become, with everyone bouncing ideas off one another and adding their input freely. Sometimes they even get so caught up they leave the newbies completely in the dust. But for the most part we get a good sense of how the Parker/Hardison/Eliot team worked with her having final say on plans but the others discussing everything together. A little bit more collaborative than it was with Nate at the helm.

Meanwhile Sophie has built a home and is deeply attached to it. She and Nate really did retire, at least for the most part, and she was living her happy ending until he died. She's out of practice but still as skilled as ever, and we're shown how much her grief has changed her and how concerned the others are for her.

There's a lot of emphasis on how they all look after one another and the found family is clearer than ever. Sophie even calls Hardison "his father's son" - clearly referring to Nate.

Nate

Speaking of Nate! They handled his loss so, so well. His story was the most complete at the end of the last show, and just from a narrative point, losing him makes the most sense of all the characters. But the way he dies and his impact on the show and the characters continues. It's very respectful to who he was - who he truly was.

Nate was someone they all loved, but he was a deeply flawed individual. Sophie talks about how he burned too hot, but at least he burned - possibly implying to me that his drinking was related to his death. In any case, there's no mystery to it. We don't know how he died but that's not what's most important about his death. This isn't a quest for revenge or anything... it's just a study of grief and trying to heal.

Back to who he really was real quick - the show doesn't eulogize him as better than he was. They're honest about him. From the first episode's toast they raise in his memory, to the final episode where Sophie and Eliot are deeply confused by Fake Nate singing his praises, the team knows who he was. They don't erase his flaws... but at the same time he was so clearly theirs. He was family, he was the man they trusted and loved and followed into incredibly dangerous situations, and whose loss they all still feel deeply.

That said, the show doesn't harp on this point. They reference him, but they don't overwhelm new viewers with a constant barrage of Nate talk. It always serves a purpose, primarily for Sophie's storyline of moving through her grief. Anyway, @robinasnyder said all of this way better than me here, so go read that as well.

Representation

Or should I say, Jewish Hardison, Autistic Parker, Queer Breanna!

Granted, Hardison's religion isn't quite explicitly stated to be Jewish so much as he mentions that his "Nana runs a multi-denominational household", but nonetheless. He gets the shows big thesis statement moment, he gets a beautiful speech about redemption that is the emotional cornerstone of that episode and probably Harry's entire arc throughout the show. And while I'm not Jewish myself, most of what I've seen from Jewish fans is saying that Hardison's words here were excellent representation of their beliefs. (@featherquillpen does a great job in that meta of contextualizing this with his depiction in the original show as well.)

Autistic Parker, however, is shown pretty dang blatantly. She already was very much coded as autistic in the original show, but the reboot has if anything gone further. She sees a child psychologist because she likes using puppets to represent emotions, she stims, she uses cue cards and pre-written scripts for social interactions, there's mention of possible texture sensitivity and her clothes are generally more loose and comfortable. She's gotten better at performing empathy and understanding how people typically work, but it's specifically described as something she learned how to do and she views her brain as being different from ones that work that way (same link). Again, not autistic myself but from what I've seen autistic fans find a lot to relate to in her portrayal. And best of all, this well-rounded and respectful depiction does not show any of these qualities as a lack on her part. There's no more of those kinda ableist comments or "what's wrong with you" jokes that were in the original show. Parker is the way she is, and that allows her to do things differently. She's loved for who she is, and any effort made to fit in is more just to know how so that she can use it to her advantage when she wants to on the job - for her convenience, not others' comfort.

Speaking of loved for who you are.... okay, again, queer Breanna isn't confirmed onscreen yet, and I don't count Word of God as true canon. But I can definitely believe we're building there. Breanna dresses in a very GNC way, and just her dialogue and, I dunno, vibes seem very queer to me. She has a beautiful speech in the Card Game Job about not belonging or being accepted and specifically mentions "the way they love" as one of those things that made her feel like she didn't belong. And that scene is given so much weight and respect. (Not to mention other hints throughout the episode about how much finding her own space meant to her.) Also, the whole theme of feeling rejected and the key for her to begin really flourishing is acceptance for who she is, not any desire for her to be anyone else, is made into another big moment. Yeah, textually that moment is about her feeling like she has to fill Hardison's shoes and worrying about her past, but the themes are there, man.

Themes

I talked a bit about this yesterday, so I'm mostly just going to link to that post, but... this series so far is doing a really good job in my opinion of giving people arcs and having some good themes. Namely the redemption one, from Hardison's speech (which I'm gonna talk a little more about in the next point), and this overall theme of growing up and looking to the future (from above the linked post).

New Characters

Harry and Breanna are fantastic characters. I was kind of worried about Harry being a replacement Nate, but... he really isn't. Sure, he's the older white guy who has an angsty past but it's in a very different way and his personality and relationships with the rest of the crew are correspondingly different. I think the dynamic of a very friendly, cheerful, kind, but still bad guy (as @soundsfaebutokay points out) is a great one to show, and he's got a really cool arc I think of learning to be a better person, and truly understanding Hardison's point about redemption being a process not a goal. His role on the team also has some interesting applications and drawbacks, as @allegorymetaphor talked about. I've kind of grown to think that the show is gradually building up to an eventual Sophie/Harry romance a ways down the line, and I'm actually here for it. Regardless, his relationships with everyone are really interesting.

As for Breanna, first of all and most importantly I love her. Secondly, I think she's got a really interesting story. She's a link to Hardison's past, and provides a really interesting perspective for us as someone younger who has grown up a) looking up to Leverage and b) in a bleaker and more hopeless world. Breanna's not an optimist, and she's not someone who was self-sufficient and unconcerned with the rest of the world at the start, like everyone else. She believes that the world sucks and she wants it to be better, but she doesn't know how to make that happen. She outright says she's desperate and that's why she's working with Leverage. At the same time, Breanna is pretty down on herself and wants to prove herself but gets easily shaken by mistakes or being scolded, which is a stark contrast to Hardison's general self-confidence. There are several times when she starts to have an idea then hesitates to share it, or expects her emotions to be dismissed, or gets really disheartened when she's corrected or rejected, or dwells on her mistakes, or when she is accepted or praised she usually takes a surprised beat and is shy about it (she almost always looks down and away from the person, and her smile is often small or startled). Breanna looks up to the team so much (Parker especially, then probably Eliot) and she wants to prove herself. It's going to be so good to see her grow.

General Vibe

A brief note, but it seems a fitting one to end on. The show keeps it's overall tone and feeling from the original show. The fun, the competency porn, the bad guys and clever plans and happy endings. It's got differences for sure, but the characters are recognizably themselves and the show as a whole is recognizably still Leverage. For the most part they just got the feeling right, and it's really nice.

CONS (no, not that kind)

'Maker and Fixer'

So when I started writing this meta earlier today, I was actually a lot more annoyed by the lack of unique 'maker' skills being shown by Breanna. Basically the only time she tries to use a drone, the very thing she introduced herself as being good at, it breaks instantly. I was concerned about her being relegated into just doing what Hardison did, instead of bringing her own stuff to the table. But the seventh episode eased some of those fears, and the meta I just wrote for someone else asking about Breanna's 'maker' skills as shown this season made me realize there's more nuance than that. I'd still like to have seen more of that from her, but for now the fact that we don't see a lot of 'maker' from her so far seems more like a character decision based in Breanna's insecurities.

Harry definitely gets more 'inside man' usage. His knowledge as a 'fixer' comes in handy several times. Nonetheless, I'm really curious if there are any bigger ways to use it, aside from him just adding in some exposition/insight from time to time. I'm not even entirely sure how much more they can pull from this premise in terms of relevant skills, but I hope there's more and I'd like to see it. Maybe a con built more around him playing a longer role playing his old self, like they tried in the Tower Job? Maybe it's more a matter of him needed distance from that part of his past, being unable to face it without lashing out - in that case it could be a good character growth moment possibly for him to succeed in being Scummy Lawyer again down the line? I dunno.

Episode Twins

This was something small that kind of bothered me a little earlier in the season. It's kind of the negative side to the references, I guess? And I'm not even sure how much it annoys me really, but I just kinda noticed and felt sort of weird about it.

Rollin' on the River has a lot of references/callbacks to the The Wedding Job.

The Tower Job has a lot of references/callbacks to The White Rabbit Job.

The Paranormal Hacktivity Job has a lot of references/callbacks to the Future Job.

I guess I was getting a little concerned that there would be a 'match this episode' situation where almost every new Redemption episode is very reminiscent of an old one. I love the callbacks, but I don't want to see a lack of creativity in this new show, and this worried me for a minute. Especially when it was combined with all three of those episodes dealing with housing issues of some kind. Now, that's a huge concern for a lot of people, and each episode has its own take on a different problem within that huge umbrella, but it still got me worried about a lack of variety in topics/cases.

The rest of the episodes failing to line up so neatly in my head with older episodes helped a lot to ease this one, though. Still, this is my complaining section so I figured I'd express my concerns as they were at the time. Even if I no longer really worry about it much.

Sophie's Stagefright

Yeah, I know this is just a small moment in a single episode, but it annoyed me! Eliot made a bit of a face at Sophie going onstage, but I thought it was just him being annoyed at the general situation. However, they started out with her being awful up there until she realized the poem was relevant to the con - at which point her reading got so much better.

This felt like a complete betrayal of Sophie's beautiful moment at the end of the original show where she got over her trouble with regular acting and played Lady Macbeth beautifully in front of a full theater of audience members. This was part of the con, but only in the sense that it gave her an alibi/place to hide, and I always interpreted it as her genuinely getting over her stagefright problems. It felt like such a beautiful place to end her arc for that show, especially after all her time spent directing.

Now, her difficulty onstage in the Card Game Job was brief and at the very beginning of being up on stage. @rinahale suggested to me that maybe it was a deliberate tactic to draw the guy's attention, and the later skill was simply her shifting focus to make the sonnet easier for Breanna to listen to and interpret, but he seemed more enraptured when she was doing well than otherwise in my opinion and it just doesn't quite sit well with me. My other theory was that maybe she just hasn't been up on stage in a long time, and much like she complaining about being rusty at grifting before the team pushed her into trying, she got nervous for a moment at the very beginning. The problem there is that I think she'd definitely still get involved in theater even when she and Nate were retired. I guess she could've quit after he died, and a year might be long enough to make her doubt herself again, but... still.

I just resent that they even left it ambiguous at all. Sophie's skills should be solid on stage at this point in my opinion.

Thiefsome

...And now we come to my main complaint. This is, by far, the biggest issue I have with the show.

I feel like I should put a disclaimer here that I had my doubts from the beginning about the thiefsome becoming canon onscreen. I thought the famous "the OT3 is safe" tweet could easily just mean that they are all still alive and well, or all still working together, without giving us confirmation of a romantic relationship. Despite this, the general fandom expectations/hopes really got to me, especially with the whole "lock/pick/key" thing. I tried to temper my expectations again when the character descriptions came out and only mentioned Hardison loving Parker, not Eliot, but I still got my hopes up.

The thing is, I was disappointed pretty quickly.

The very first episode told me that in all likelihood we would never see Hardison and Parker and Eliot together in a romantic sense. Oh, there was so much coding. So much hinting. So much in the way of conversations that were about Parker/Hardison's relationship but then Eliot kept getting brought into them. They were portrayed as a unit of three.

But then there was this.

I love all of those scenes of Parker and Hardison being intimate and loving and comfortable with one another and their relationship. I really do. But it didn't escape my notice that there's nothing of the sort with Eliot. If they wanted a canon onscreen thiefsome, it would by far make the most sense to just have it established from the start. But there aren't any scenes where Eliot shares the same kind of physical closeness with either of them like they do each other. Parker and Hardison kiss; he doesn't kiss anyone. They have several clearly romantic conversations when alone; he gets important conversations with both but the sense of it being romantic isn't there.

Establishing Eliot as part of the relationship after Hardison is gone just... doesn't make any sense. It would be more likely to confuse new viewers, to make them wonder if Parker is cheating on Hardison with Eliot, or if they have a Y shaped relationship rather that a triangle. It would be so much clumsier.

Still, up until the Double-Edged-Sword Job I believed the writers might keep it at this level of 'plausible hinting but not quite saying'. There's a lot of great stuff with all of them, and I never expecting making out or whatever anyway; a cheek-kiss was about the height of my hopes to be honest. I mostly just hoped for outright confirmation and, failing that, I was happy enough to have the many hints and implications.

But then Marshal Maria Shipp came along. And I don't really have anything against her as a character - in fact, I think she has interesting story potential and will definitely come back. But the episode framed her fight with Eliot as a sexyfight TM, much like his fight with Mikel back in the day. And then his flirting with her rode the line a little of "he's playing her for the con" and "he's genuinely flirting." The scene where he tells her his real name is particularly iffy, but actually was the one that convinced me he was playing her. Because he seems to be watching her really closely, and to be very concerned about her figuring out who he really is. I am very aware though that I'm doing a lot of work to interpret it the way I want. On surface appearance, Eliot's just flirting with an attractive woman, like he did on the last show. And that's probably the intention, too.

But the real nail in the coffin for me was when Sophie compared herself and Nate to Eliot and Maria. That was a genuine scene, not the continuation of the teasing from before. And Sophie is the one whose insight into people is always, always trustworthy. She is family to the thiefsome. For this to make any sense, either Eliot/Parker/Hardison isn't a thing, or they are and Sophie doesn't know - and I can't imagine why in the hell she wouldn't know.

Any argument to make them still canon leaves me unsatisfied. If she knows and they haven't admitted it to her - why wouldn't they, after all this time? Why would she not have picked up on it even without an outright announcement? Some people suggested they wouldn't admit it because they thought Nate would be weird about it, but that doesn't seem any more in character to me than the other possibilities. In fact, the only option that doesn't go against my understanding of these people and their observational abilities/the close relationship they share.... is that the thiefsome is not a thing.

And furthermore, the implication of this conversation - especially the way it ended, with Eliot stomping off looking embarrassed while Sophie smiled knowingly - is that Eliot will get into another relationship onscreen. Maybe not a full-blown romantic relationship. But the Maria Shipp tension is going to be resolved somehow, and at this point I'm half-expecting a hook-up simply because of Sophie's reaction and how much I trust her judgement of such things. Even if she's letting her grief cloud her usual perceptiveness... it feels iffy.

It just kinda feels like I wasn't even allowed to keep my "interpret these hints/maybe they are" thiefsome that I expected after the first couple episodes convinced me we wouldn't get outright confirmation. (I mean, I will anyway, and I love the hints and allusions regardless.) And while I'm definitely not the kind of fan who is dependent on canon for my ships, and still enjoy all their interactions/will keep right on headcanoning them all in a relationship, it's just.... a bummer.

Feels like a real cop-out. Like the hints of Breanna being queer are enough to meet their quota and they won't try anything 'risky' like a poly relationship. I dunno. It's annoying.

.

That's the end of the list! Again, overall I love the new show a lot and have few complaints.

[cluelessrebel1988]

Having recently finished rewatching all five seasons of Leverage before diving into Leverage: Redemption, I have to say that the new series is just...better. Not that the original was bad, but the new show takes what worked about the original and vastly improves upon it. 

I find Harry Wilson to be a much more compelling character than Nate Ford ever was, because he’s someone we see face down the errors of his ways and how, through joining the Leverage team, he’s trying to make amends. Nate was already disillusioned with the system he’d been working in when we met him in the pilot and while the writers did have some interesting ideas for his character with his alcoholism and his history with his father, it never felt like either of those were explored with enough depth to make them compelling. He stops drinking between seasons one and two, but falls off the wagon to help sell a con, and the fact that he’s an alcoholic is only occasionally brought up after that with no real resolution for it, and his relationship with his father gets even fewer mentions with even less resolution. Harry, on the other hand, is new as a criminal, but he wants to work to make amends for the wrongs he’s committed -- maybe sometimes too much, to the point where it nearly blows the con. There’s more to explore with the character, sure, but this is a good start.

Breanna is a nice addition as well. Bringing in a younger character, especially one who’s grown up in the post-9/11 world we live in and doesn’t know anything different is interesting, but beyond that, her desire to prove herself as more than just the hacker is very endearing, and I’m very interested to see where the character goes in future episodes. I hope that at least one of those episodes involves Hardison coming back and seeing how she’s grown as part of the team. I also really like the mentor-mentee relationship she’s got going with Parker and Elliot (and Sophie too, to a lesser extent).

As for the three returners, I love how they’ve evolved in the years since the end of the original show. Parker especially, seeing a therapist and being able to do work as both a grifter and a thief, which just adds to the arsenal for the team, and gives Sophie a chance to flex her skills as the team’s new mastermind, a role she’s inhabiting very well.

Overall, I think Leverage: Redemption is doing a better job at finding the right balance between character development and the con than the original series did and I am 100 percent here for it.

[be-gay-do-heists]

there’s something about the love for things you like (hey trendsetter)

“Hardison, I know the point of this grift was to stand out, but are you sure that’s not a little over the top?”

The hacker smiled at the voice in his ear, brushing an imaginary piece of lint off of his outfit in view of the security cameras overlooking the ballroom, whose feed he knew was currently being displayed to Nate and Sophie in Lucille. He pretended not to hear the wonderstruck whispers of the other guests around him. “Nate, I made these clothes myself, I would know if it was over the top.”

Ok, so maybe hand-made clothes were themselves a little much, but he had been dying to trot out this suit forever. The half-tunic was composed of rich blue and gray silks which he had been particularly excited about because he’d never sewn on silk before, and had gone down a rabbit hole on the technique research alone. The layered panels of fabric hung around his torso in a deceptively simple pattern, and one side draped elegantly down to his knee, swishing as he walked and revealing the brocaded reverse side. The perfectly-tailored white pants were simple enough, even if he had embellished the French seam with a decorative stitch and gold thread. As for the matching white slippers, well… shoes would be the next garment craft he picked up, looking down at them in slight disappointment and imagining how the perfect pair could elevate this outfit to the next level.

Sophie’s voice this time. “It’s perfect. Just start establishing your presence.”

Hardison began moving leisurely across the room, letting his attire do the talking for him. Despite the crowded space, the party-goers around him seemed to move out of his way on their own so they could marvel at him; it was easy to stand out amid the bland tuxes that surrounded him. He looked around the room, scanning for the mark, affecting a disinterested attitude. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar shade of hair and turned just slightly to catch Eliot’s eye. The fighter was working waitstaff for this part of the con, bearing a tray of champagne flutes and a disarming smile, the latter strangely absent from his face for a brief second as he looked over at Hardison. Puzzled, the hacker startled slowly making his way over, stopping by the bar momentarily to look at the fine liquors displayed behind the counter (and not seeing anything nearly sweet enough for his taste). As he approached, Eliot noticed him and Hardison registered the slight delay, the stuttered blink. “Champagne,” the hitter grunted, offering the tray more brusquely than he might do with a different guest.

Hardison accepted one of the glasses and watched Eliot’s reaction as he slowly took a sip, smiling afterwards. “Watch out before you drop that tray,” he said, gesturing.

The hitter recovered himself. “Dammit Hardison,” he growled under his breath in response.

“It’s the suit, isn’t it. You like the suit,” the hacker said, letting a hint of gloating enter his voice and waggling his eyebrows.

Eliot delayed his reply to offer a drink to a passing guest, professional disposition fully back in place. He made sure no one was looking at them before turning back and pointing a finger at Hardison. “You’re distracting me,” he hissed. Hardison just rolled his eyes and let flowing fabric swish a little as he changed his posture. He watched with satisfaction as Eliot’s gaze followed the movement. “Did you really make that yourself, man?” the hitter whispered.

“Of course he did, Hardison can do anything,” Parker said, popping up behind them and startling them both. She ignored their surprised expressions and shook her head to jangle her dangly earrings (Hardison knew she thought the feeling was fun). Shock aside, the way she said it made Hardison’s chest ache. It was like she was saying The joints on this climbing harness are made of a carbon fiber polymer, or Eliot will catch me if I jump out of this window. Like it was a fact. He hid his expression in the champagne glass.

“Ok, enough chit-chat,” Nate’s voice buzzed in their ears. “Fleischman is approaching the bar. Parker, you’re up.” There was a clacking noise in the background, and Hardison could imagine the mastermind pecking at the keyboard trying to get a closer view on the cameras.

Parker shifted nervously, fingers picking at the seam of her evening gown. “There’s a lot of people around. Loud people. I don’t know if I can do this. I need one of you guys to help me.” She murmured the last bit very quietly.

“I’ll be guiding you the entire time, don’t worry, Parker. Hardison, go ahead and walk over with her, and stand nearby at the bar; you’ll be a good distraction for keeping Fleischman’s eyes off of her nerves,” Sophie weighed in.

“Don’t go overboard,” Eliot growled from next to them, readjusting his tray and moving off to get a better angle on the room. Hardison felt the hitter’s free hand brush his back as he left, warm and solid, and knew what Eliot was really saying was Be careful.

He grinned widely as he offered an arm to Parker. “May I walk you to the bar for a drink?”

The thief cracked her neck and breathed out before taking it. “Let’s do this.”

[jessikast]

Leverage: Redemption thoughts

Now that I have - joyfully and with complete delight - watched the eight episodes we’ve been graced with:

I adore it. The first episode, in particular, felt almost like fanfiction in the best way. Our characters were BACK. (Except one, and I don't think anyone really misses him.) The banter, the references to the original show (I teared up at the first over-head group shot), the vibes and character dyamics - perfection.

I'm really surprised that - in a show that is otherwise quite progressive and very aware of the world it's operating in - that unless I've missed something we still don't really have any canon queer characters. (I mean yes, obviously, there's our OT3 which is only word-of-god canon, and in my heart everyone in the crew except Nate was totally bi, but the only character I can think of was that lady detective in two episodes of season 4 who was lesbian and who *may* have had an excellent lunch date offscreen with Sophie.) Breanna said something about wanting to fit in in terms of 'who we love' in The Card Game Job episode, but I don't think that was anything explicit.

Sophie's grief at the start of the first episode was amazing. Gina Bellman's acting was so lovely.

I really miss having more Hardison, but I like Breanna more than I thought I would. I was prepared to bristle at her cockiness and defend our precious baby Alec, but I think the show did a really good job introducing her - allowing her the technical skills she needs to be genuinely useful to the team, and also showing that she is explicitly being mentored and taught. If she went the route of many other 'annoying kid genius' characters she'd always be haring off, getting herself into trouble and in over her head, but I love that she LISTENS to the others - and they're respecting and listening to her too. (And do we know how old she's meant to be? She's sort of introduced as 'Hardison's kid sister', but she also talks about having day gigs so she must be old enough to be out of school and working. Late teens/early 20s?) I thought it also worked really well how explicitly they drew the parallels between Breanna and Hardison (and Parker) at the start of Leverage, both for endearing us to her character and for showing us how much our original team have matured and grown.

And how lovely is Hardison's new career direction?! He's hacking, like, the GLOBAL POLITICAL SYSTEM.

I was a bit confused by the way Sophie's leadership of the group wasn't really addressed a lot. We knew - from the end of the original series and from the 'what we've been up to' summary in the first ep - that Parker has been masterminding the trio, and yet very quickly after Sophie's return she just takes control. It's addressed really briefly but not resolved, and then in the eighth episode it seems like Parker has purposefully stepped back to allow Sophie's leadership as part of them supporting her through her grief, but I feel like we missed a step there. Not that I WANT conflict between our faves!

How amazingly, completely gorgeous is their new building? The outdoor courtyard area? The bar and the high, stained glass ceiling?! That cool stables (?) entryway??! (Do they actually live there? What happened to Sophie's inital reluctance to leave her home and Nate's things?)

I do wish that we'd seen some of our old favorite side characters, or at least heard how they're doing. Obviously the focus in the first set of episodes needs to be establishing the new characters and team, so I'll cross my fingers that we get Maggie, Sterling (possibly as a couple), and Taggert and McSweeten AT LEAST. I also have a big soft spot for Hurley and Peggy. Even just a throw-away reference to how they're doing would make me happy! Also the other 'shadow team' - i.e. Archie and Chaos etc. would be fun.

I have to admit - and it's just my personal bias - that I expected more from The Card Game Job episode. The whole ren faire was fun (and 100% worth it just for seeing Elliot as a knight) but I thought that we were going to get more of the cut-throat world of competitive collectible TCG tournaments etc. And I know that this show requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, BUT: an amazing, special, one-of-a-kind card and it's not even in a sleeve?!?!

I liked the idea of the The Mastermind Job, but I did think it was a bit thin explaining how this guy had SO MANY details about their cons - was IYS actually tracking Nate so closely, or did Nate spill a LOT of stuff at the bar? And I wish that the revelation that Nate had elided Sophie's role as a way to protect her privacy had come from HER rather than the random fake-Nate somehow figuring it out mid-showdown.

I liked the way that having some new team members meant the 'are we the bad guys? is this a tad morally dubious?' questions got asked.

Finally: Sophie misspoke when she said Nate's heart gave out, right? Was there any way we don't think it was his liver? His poor, poor abused liver?

Anyway, I'll probably have more collected, coherent reponses later, but overall I am SO happy to have this show back.

[alinaandalion]

👀

from an AU I keep poking at where Sophie knows about Eliot's past with Moreau from the very start:

Nate finds her in the bar downstairs.  When she hears him come up behind her, she just pours him some whiskey and sets it beside her; he sits and palms the glass between his hands, leaning on the bar with his elbows.

“I need to know how bad this is, Sophie,” he says quietly, and she stiffens even though she knew this was coming from that moment in the park when he’d looked across at her.

She licks her lips before saying, “It’s definitely worse than we thought when we started this.”

Nate nods and takes a moment, clearly thinking as she waits beside him, then he asks, “What exactly happened in that meeting?”

“We told you,” Sophie replies with a shake of her head and a small laugh that cracks right down the middle.  

Nate sighs.  “Look, Soph, I am trying here but you’re both clearly still hiding something.  Eliot’s been through enough today but I will ask him if I have to.”

She finishes her drink first.  “Nate, I–there’s a lot I don’t know.”

“But you were there and there’s clearly something bothering you.”  He grabs the bottle and pours a small measure of whiskey out for them both.  “How about this:  tell me what’s bothering you about the plan.”

Her mouth quirks into an involuntary smile at that even as her stomach turns over.  She pulls her glass closer, thumbs resting on the rim as she says, “Eliot’s part of it.”

“What about it?  You were the one who insisted that he can’t actually kill Atherton.  Not that I would have asked him to,” Nate replies.  “Do you think we can’t fake it well enough?”

“No,” Sophie says, eyes flitting up to meet his.  “It’s that–I’m not sure it matters either way.  This is some kind of test or game for Moreau and I just keep feeling as though no matter what Eliot does, he’s meant to fail.”

“Because–he still wants something from Eliot?” Nate presses and Sophie looks away.  “So it wasn’t just work then.  This is a…personal relationship?”

Sophie nods then says, “Even though I knew about Eliot working for Moreau, I wasn’t prepared for that meeting.  It was as though he’d been waiting for us.  And I know as a grifter that it’s an intimidation tactic but it felt real.”

He reaches over then, his left hand landing on her wrist and fingers pressing lightly against her skin as he asks, “So, based on that, how bad is this?”

She knows it’s an attempt to play her even if it’s also tinged with sincerity, but she stays still, lets the warmth of his fingers on her skin ground her as she says, “The last time I felt like this, it was when I was holding that bomb in my hands.”

[schrijverr]

On Paper

Little think piece about Eliot from Hardison’s viewpoint.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~~~~~~~~~

Eliot on paper was fucking terrifying with a start in US military that moved to black Ops so fast that one would suspect nepotism were it not black Ops and a suspected hit list that would be less terrifying if it weren’t for the zero arrests with the only time in prison spend for other crimes they’d managed to pin on him. Not only that, but he had a reputation for never selling out a client and a few hospital records that made one wonder why, not to mention a terrifyingly long period wherein he had disappeared completely.

Yeah, if Hardison had known any of that, he wouldn't have felt so comfortable pointing a gun at Eliot Spencer’s head.

But that was the most surprising part in the end. Hardison had pointed a gun straight at Eliot’s face and threatened him and then he had walked away and lived, even worked with the guy. Because the Eliot on paper was nothing like the Eliot Hardison knew.

The Eliot Hardison knew grumbled at him or Parker about personal space, teased him for being a geek, stood up for them against Nate when the guy started to sound insane and told him that Sophie’s play was the worst thing that ever happened to him like he hadn’t been in multiple illegal prisons getting tortured.

He just shouldn’t work. The guy with too many hits out on his head shouldn’t be the same guy that almost went to bat intensely for a horse, just because he cared so much or the one that wanted to complete his workday in a mine, because they were shorthanded.

It was just too easy to forget that Eliot could beat nearly the entire world in a fight when he frowned at his phone as if it personally hurt him.

So Hardison forgot.

He forgot about all the files he read, the papers that were obviously missing and the prisons that their hitter had visited. He didn’t register it when Eliot knew someone on their gig or found a stance or fighting style “distinctive” nor when he beat the crap out of someone over the comms.

And it was easy to do so when Eliot obviously was one of them. When he made them food or ensured they were okay even if it was him, who had gotten the beating. Eliot was one of the good guys and that was that.

Hardison was sure it would have stayed like that, were it not for that Italian with her fucking Moreau Job that she blackmailed Nate into.

He should have seen it in the way Eliot tensed up at the name and tried to protest, telling them they were out of their league.

No one was out of Eliot’s league.

No one.

But he was scared, well, maybe not scared, because Eliot didn’t do scared. He was uncomfortable, cautious and not at all happy at the fact that their target was Moreau. And if they weren’t being blackmailed Hardison would have thought twice about going after the guy when Eliot reacted like that.

So he ignored it, like he ignored so many things about Eliot that would make him something other than the teddy bear looking guy with a charming smile in his mind. He couldn't deal with that and he had gotten good at seeing Eliot as Eliot, not paper Eliot.

Besides, Hardison had gotten used to winning, to their cons working out in their favor and maybe he had even started to believe in their unbeatable luck with Nate on their side.

It was a stupid mistake.

He only realized how stupid when Eliot gave his whole stupid name at that elevator and they were let in as if they were celebrities, terrifying celebrities. His name had opened the door to the most terrifying guy that he had never worked for.

And then Moreau had handcuffed Hardison to a chair as he told them that he knew Eliot and that he preferred beer. Suddenly the gaping missing part in his paper trail made sense when he worked for the one man, who could completely make him disappeared and Hardison wondered how Eliot had ever gotten away.

Not that he got long to think it over, because he was pushed into a fucking pool and Eliot didn’t even flinch. He had to suck air out of a chair just to survive and when he got out of the pool Eliot hadn’t moved an inch.

Only then that Hardison was faced with paper Eliot, who might have left him to die, who didn’t react to his questions.

He remembered that Eliot had never ratted on an employer, that his hits had been brutal and always completed, that he had made more money doing hits than any other and that Hardison should have paid more attention to all that he had read when he knew how easily Eliot blended int a crowd and got people to trust him. How effective that made him.

So, he was pissed off, he had been terrified and he just wanted to catch a glimpse of his Eliot again, instead of this paper Eliot, who brushed him off and didn’t give him that sense of security he had come to associate with Eliot.

And of course Eliot had to throw another puzzle piece at him through his reaction, the unshed tears in his eyes as he practically begged Parker not to ask what he did, how he would tell her and didn’t want to.

Making Hardison wonder what the hell was so fucked up compared to all he had read the other had done. Making him wonder what Moreau had covered up that had broken their hitter so thoroughly that he couldn't even speak of it.

He hated it.

He hated seeing Eliot like that.

And he hated himself even more for finding comfort in the fact that the Eliot he knew was still in there, alive and well.

Because in the end, Eliot stayed. They all stayed. They were going to finish this job like they’d done every other before it. And Eliot was going to be there too and despite all that had happened, the fact that Eliot would be there to have his back made him feel safe.

So while he knew that Eliot Spencer on paper was fucking terrifying, because of course he did and of course he was. But Hardison on paper was very different than him in real life and he knew that too.

Eliot Spencer was more than his papers.

He was grumpy in the mornings, he was gentle explanations for Parker, he was a stern look to Nate and a smile to Sophie. He was a good meal that appeared at Hardison’s elbow during a hacking binge and banter to fill the silence.

Eliot was their hitter and always had their backs. And maybe it was the fact that he was terrifying on paper and a caring person in real life that made him so safe to be around. At least for Hardison.

[brockadoodles]

surprises - n. mackinnon

AN: I completely forgot about this fic until @sportmodepetey asked me about writing for Nate and I remembered that I had!! So here is this, I promise it’s all fluff and softness and not my usual angst. I’m gonna tag @hockeyboysiguess​ too because she might yell at me for waking her up again with another fic. Also I think I promised an anon I would repost this forever ago and then I forgot sooo.. If you come back anon, here ya go! 

Word Count: 5148

Warnings: Babies!!! 

Your hands shook as you delicately picked up the test in your hands. Holding one end between your fingers, you glanced at your reflection in the bathroom mirror. Your eyes looked heavy, filled with worry and your hair was disheveled from how anxiously you had been running your hands through it the last three minutes.  

If you had to guess, you would assume that most people your age would be scared of a positive pregnancy test, but you were feeling the opposite. Your heart was racing and you had an uneasy feeling in your stomach, trying to work up the courage to see the result. 

Lately, Nathan would look at the results for you. He said it was his way of protecting you from the feeling of disappointment, a sentiment you appreciated, even if every result was still negative. They all had been negative for the last year and a half, why would the next one be any different? 

No one prepared you for what it would be like to have trouble getting pregnant, it was never a thought that crossed your mind. When you and Nate got married, the idea of children wasn’t even on the radar. You were both young, he was in the prime of his career, it just didn’t make any sense to start trying at 25. Now that you both were 30, and it was becoming clear just how difficult it was, you were starting to regret not trying sooner. 

It was hard not to feel like you were failing your husband, but your body just wasn’t cooperating. It wasn’t for the lack of trying, the two of you had sex all the time. You tracked your ovulation schedule, tried every superstitious trick, and yet each time that familiar wave of disappointment hit you as you’d see Nate’s face falter when looking at the pregnancy test. It was especially frustrating because doctors told you that everything was normal, and sometimes it just takes time to conceive naturally. 

Nate never did anything to make you feel inadequate, he was always supportive of you. Holding you while you cried, reassuring you that you were always good enough, no matter what happened. But most importantly, he never lost faith in you, he constantly reminded you that growing a human is hard work, and maybe your body is just taking extra time to prepare. He was always so calm, genuinely believing that it would happen for the two of you when it was meant to happen. That’s why he tried as often as he could to bear the burden of looking at the test for you. If he could take away any sadness you were feeling, he would. 

But today, Nate wasn’t here. The Avalanche were on a week-long road trip in New York and he wasn’t due back for a couple of more days. You bit your lip, diverting your eyes away from the mirror and back down towards the white plastic stick resting in your right hand. You didn’t tell Nate, feeling like it wasn’t worth getting his hopes up only to let him down once again. 

Your own hopes were high this time, something in your body just felt different. You had symptoms that you hadn’t experienced yet the other times you thought you were pregnant. You took a deep breath and finally shifted your gaze down to the test, eyeing it carefully.

Your stomach dropped seeing the word “pregnant” in the little results window of the test. You rubbed your eyes quickly and looked again, thinking maybe you were projecting your hopes and that your eyes were deceiving you. When you saw the same result, you quickly ripped open another test and went over to the toilet. 

Those second three minutes were probably the most nerve wracking of your entire life. You had never had a positive pregnancy result, and after how long you had been trying it was hard to believe that it wasn’t some sort of fluke or false positive. 

When the three minutes were up, you hastily grabbed the test, wasting no time to look at the result. When you read the word pregnant again, you looked back up at your reflection in the mirror. Your eyes were glassy with fresh tears, but you looked happier than you had been a few minutes prior. You took a slight step back from the sink, placing the test onto the marble countertop and placed a hand gently on your lower stomach, slowly rubbing your fingers across your skin.

It took every bit of willpower that you had to not spill the secret to Nate when he came home that week, but you knew that with how long you had both been waiting, that you wanted to confirm with the doctor before giving him the news. The many months of disappointment had caused you to guard your heart, and you couldn’t fathom sharing the news with Nate only to have it ripped apart from the both of you if it ended up not being true. 

------------ 

A few nights later, you were tossing and turning, finding yourself unable to sleep. You looked over at Nate, unable to sleep. His back was facing you and his breaths were deep. His flight had gotten in late, him not getting back home until around 2:30am. When he leaned in to kiss your forehead softly before slipping into bed, you had been asleep. But when he wrapped his arm around you and rested his large hand on your stomach you woke up, suddenly worried that maybe he knew you were pregnant. 

This was a ridiculous thought to have, Nate didn’t even know you had taken tests while he was gone, and he always pulled you close at night, but you couldn’t help but feel your anxiety levels rise. 

“I know something’s bothering you.” You jumped at the sound of his voice, groggy and full of sleep. Before you spoke back, Nate turned himself to face you before running his hand over his face and up through his hair to wake himself up a bit. It was 5:47am but because it was still winter, the sky was pitch black outside. 

“M’fine, baby, go back to sleep.” You tried to reason, reaching your hand up to rub his cheek, fingers gliding softly over the stubble that had grown in on his face. Nate relaxed into your touch and leaned down to press a slow kiss to your forehead before resting his head in the crook of your neck. 

He peppered light kisses on your neck, humming out,

“Did something happen this week?” 

“No.” You lied, using your hand to tilt his head back up, bringing your lips to his. 

“Just missed you.” You added, deepening the kiss. It wasn’t a complete lie, you did miss him and now that he was home kissing you, you couldn’t help but press yourself closer into him, needing to feel his touch. 

Soft moans filled the room as lazily dipped in and out of you. You felt your anxieties slipping away as each moment passed. What started as a means to distract Nate also became a release for you, and you fell back asleep feeling safe and content in his arms.

You woke up a few hours later to the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the bedroom. You sat up and pulled your hair into a messy low bun before you leaned over the edge of the bed, slowly pulling yourself out of the covers and getting up. You stood up and  pulled Nate’s shirt down over your body from where it had risen up earlier that morning. You subconsciously ran a hand over your abdomen, smiling to yourself before heading out the bedroom door and into the kitchen where Nate was sitting at the island, coffee cup in hand. 

“Morning.” You said, coming up behind him and pressing a kiss to the back of his shoulder. You leaned around him to grab an apple from the fruit basket and took a bite into it. Nate turned his body slightly toward you, pulling you slightly so that you were facing him, standing between his legs. 

“How was the trip?” You asked, smiling softly at him. His fingers pressed into your sides, pulling up the shirt that was draped over your body as he rubbed small, comforting circles into your hips. 

“You watched all of the games.” He smirked up at you before pressing his lips to yours in a kiss. 

“Mhm, yeah but I still like to know how your trip was.” You hummed out in between soft kisses. Nate tried to pull you closer and deepen the kiss but you felt your stomach lurch. The taste of coffee on his lips made you feel nauseous all of a sudden. You felt bile rising in your throat, threatening to come out and ruin the tender moment between you and your husband. 

You pulled away quickly and Nate furrowed his brow at your sudden need to separate yourself from his touch. 

“You alright?” He spoke. 

“I, uh, I think my period just came.” You stumbled out, averting your eyes from his as you ran into your shared bathroom. You quickly turned on the shower to drown out the sounds of emptying your stomach. Once you felt a bit better, you stood up, flushing the toilet and washing your hands. You brushed your teeth and made a mental note to make a doctor’s appointment for as quickly as possible to 100% confirm your pregnancy. You still felt a bit nauseous, but a part of you was relieved to be feeling sick, as it was another sign that the home tests had been right. You didn’t want to keep the news from Nate for too long, just long enough to plan a special way to let him know he was going to be a dad. 

----------- 

You sat in the driver’s seat of your car, holding the small ultrasound photo in your hands. The doctor had confirmed what you felt to be true, you were 13 weeks pregnant. Your doctor gave you a list of prenatal vitamins to pick up on your way home. The Avalanche had a big home game that night and you were eager to be there, not only to cheer on Nate but because you knew just how you wanted to tell him.

You stood next to Aleks, glancing down at her and Nikita’s daughter Sophie. She was wearing a small Avalanche jersey, Zadorav printed in white on the back. Your heart swelled at the sight, knowing that someday soon, your own child will be wearing their own little MacKinnon jersey. 

“Do you think you can get Z to help me with something? He has to keep it a secret though.” You asked Aleks, taking a sip out of your water bottle. She eyed you suspiciously, looking from you to your drink. You felt nervous under her stare, knowing that she was technically going to be the first person you told the good news to.

“You’re pregnant.” She smirked, saying it bluntly. You choked a bit on your water before looking up at her in surprise. You quickly looked down to your stomach, which was covered with a loose fitting top. Your “wag” jacket that matched the other girls around you came out to cover the sides of your hips. There was no way she could have known based on your appearance, you weren’t far enough along for there to be signs.

“You’re drinking water, you never drink that here.” She smiled. You bit your lip, cursing yourself for having a strict pregame ritual of drinking a beer during warmups. You nodded at her, not wanting to say it outloud as Nate came skating up to where the two of you were standing. Your eyes focused on your husband, who was now balancing a puck on the end of his stick. He tossed it over the glass to you, winking at you as you caught it, a tradition he started after the first game he invited you back when you had just started dating.

You looked around, spotting a young boy who looked to be around 7 or 8, dressed head to toe in Avs gear standing just a few seats over from you. You leaned over and tapped his shoulder, smiling at him and offering the puck. Nate’s tradition was to give you a puck and yours was to pay it forward and give it to a fan in the crowd. More often than not you chose to give it to a kid, knowing just how much it probably meant to them to receive something from a player that they looked up to.

The little boy eagerly nodded at you and took the puck from your hands before turning toward who you assumed to be his dad. 

“Wow, what do you say to the nice woman, bud?” The man said, smiling at you in thanks.

“Thank you!” the boy exclaimed, wrapping his small arms around your leg in a quick hug before looking up at you. 

“You’re welcome.” You smiled, looking toward his father to get permission to hug the child back. He nodded at you, and you wrapped your arms quickly around the young boy. Nate watched the exchange from the blue line, passing a puck back and forth with Gabe. He couldn’t help but sigh in sadness. He wanted a baby so badly, and while he understood that it would happen when it was meant to, he always felt a touch of worry when he thought too hard about the what ifs. The moment passed as quickly as it came and he focussed his thoughts solely on the game ahead of him. 

“So what do you need Z to do?” Your attention turned back to Aleks. 

“Well I haven’t told Nate yet, I was hoping Z and the boys could help me.” You said, leaning in a bit closer to her so that the people around you couldn’t hear you. The last thing you needed was for the news to end up all over Twitter. Granted, Nate didn’t use Twitter but still. 

Just as you mentioned him, Nikita came skating up to where the three of you were standing. He tapped the glass quickly in front of his daughter, before waving quickly at all of you and skating away. If there was anyone that would help, it would be him. He was so in love with his children, but also wild enough to want to participate in what you had planned. 

A few days later you found yourself on a group FaceTime call with some of Nate’s teammates, laughing as they loudly spoke over each other about the plan you had come up with. You knew that you had to incorporate his teammates and hockey into the reveal, being as his team was one of the most important aspects of his life. You knew that he couldn’t wait to someday share that with his kids, bringing them to games and teaching them how to skate. 

After JT and Tyson argued over whether Nate was going to cry or not, Gabe cut them off and grabbed your attention.

“Do you know what you’re having yet?” You looked at Gabe curiously, almost instantly thinking of a new task that the boys could all help you with.

“Actually I want you guys to tell us.” You spoke into the screen. This grabbed everyone’s attention. 

“What can we do?” Tyson beamed at you. 

“Well I have this envelope the doctor gave me, I was going to just open it with Nate but maybe you guys could come up with something to share the news with us.” 

“Like a party?” Nikita jumped in. You would have felt nervous about it, but Z had done this before and you knew he wouldn’t do anything too crazy. 

“Yes, you can throw a party if you want.” You smiled back at him. 

--------

Nate turned his car on, blasting the heat. It was early, he was tired, and the last thing he wanted to be doing was heading to the rink for an obscenely early morning skate. Gabe had mentioned that everyone needed to be at the rink by 7 that morning, some sort of last minute meeting before practice. He was annoyed but he knew better than to question his captain. He reached down to shift the car into gear when he noticed a note taped to the gear shift. He recognized your handwriting immediately, smiling to himself as he picked the small piece of paper up. 

Good morning my love, Snow is still falling, but warm things are coming.  If you’re wondering what the next note consists of,  When you get to the rink, check your right glove. 

Nate reread the note a few times, unsure of what it meant. He quickly set it onto the passenger seat, reminding himself to look inside his gloves when he got to the arena like it said. 

When Nate pulled into the parking garage he immediately felt confused. So far, his car was the only one he could see. He glanced at the clock on his phone before double checking that Gabe’s message actually said 7am. It was 6:45am and no one else was there. He was normally a bit early, but never the first one to practice. He shook his head, getting out of the car and grabbing the remainder of his gear from the trunk. Maybe everyone was as tired as he was and just was running a bit behind, he thought as he walked into the practice facility. 

Nate took his time changing and putting on his padding, figuring that there was no reason to rush if he was the only one there so far. The note from the car completely slipped his mind. It wasn’t until he grabbed his gloves that he remembered to check inside for something. He felt around the inside of the glove before pulling out another small piece of paper with your handwriting on it. 

Congrats, you found clue number two. Although it’s probably not clear what you have to do.  You’re probably wondering why everyone is late,  Forget about them and head to the place where we sat on our first date.

Nate read the note once more before setting it in his stall and heading out toward the rink. He smiled at the memory of your first date. By all standards, it should have been a disaster. Looking back he isn’t quite sure how he managed to get a second date out of it. He had planned brunch for the two of you, wanting to take you to a little whole in the wall cafe in downtown Denver. Instead, the coaches decided that after their last three losses, they needed an extra conditioning practice. Rather than cancel on you, he asked if you wanted to come watch practice and have lunch afterwards. Much to his surprise you said yes.

He had a terrible practice that day, and he thought for sure that his negative attitude toward his teammates would prevent you from ever wanting to see him again. Instead, after practice, the two of you sat in the stands for two hours just talking about anything and everything while some junior hockey team practiced in the background. You didn’t even express annoyance when some of the players came up to him to say hello after their practice, instead you smiled and listened as he interacted with the younger players.

He left the locker room and headed over to the bench where the two of you sat all of those years ago, he knew exactly where it was that you were sitting. Remembering the dark green sweater you had worn that day, and the scarf you had around your neck to keep warm while he practiced. 

When he walked up toward the bench he saw another small note taped to it. He picked it up and opened it.

Welcome to clue number three, This one marks you being halfway done, but I’m just starting the fun.  If you search through the practice pucks, you just might find the next one.

Nate was beginning to wonder what this whole scavenger hunt was leading to. You were not the type of person to be able to keep secrets when it came to surprises. If anyone was going to spill about a surprise, it would be you. You always said that you just got too excited to share whatever it was with whoever the person was that you couldn’t be trusted to keep any exciting secrets. He was curious as to how you managed to pull off some sort of prize for him. 

Nate set his sticks and gloves down on the players bench and walked into the equipment area to grab the bag of practice pucks. He dumped the bag out and the pucks started sliding haphazardly across the ice. He knew it would be faster than trying to dig through the bag. 

His eyes scanned the pucks, looking for a few moments before spotting one with paper sticking out underneath it. He stepped out onto the ice and skated over to where the puck was. He leaned down to pick it up, carefully taking the note off of the puck before skating back over to the boards to lean against them while reading the new clue.

Sorry you had to make that mess, but I promise it’ll be for the best.  Don't forget to put the pucks away and then head back to where you always begin game day.

Nate slowly gathered his mess on the ice, stacking the pucks up then sliding them into the bags, before stepping off the ice and heading back toward the dressing room.  

When Nate got back to his stall he was confused to see a small gift bag sitting on top of the bench. He looked quickly around the locker room to see if any of the other guys had shown up. It was definitely past time that Gabe said everyone had to be here, yet even Gabe himself hadn’t yet arrived for practice. He picked up the small grey bag and sat down on the bench. 

 He slowly pulled out the white and gold tissue paper that was stuffed in the top of the bag, setting it down next to him. He reached his hand down into the bag, instantly feeling something extremely soft on his fingers. He lifted the item out and furrowed his brows in confusion at it. He was holding a small stuffed animal version of Bernie, the Avalanche team mascot. He figured maybe the bag was meant for another teammate who had kids. 

As Nate was putting the mini Bernie back in the bag, he noticed the back of Bernie’s jersey was different. Instead of “Bernie” printed in white, it said “MacKinnon” and just underneath the name was 29. He knew there must be another clue somewhere and he began to look around his stall for any piece of paper that might have come from you. 

He spotted something next to his name plaque, and sure enough it was another folded up note from you. 

Now that you’ve revealed all I had to hide, pack up your gear and head where you park your ride.

Nate shook his head, but obliged by what the note said, packing his gear back up quickly so that he could head back to what he hoped was the reveal of whatever grand scheme you were planning.

About 20 minutes later, he walked out to the parking garage and saw you leaning up against his car. You beamed up at him, pulling yourself away from the car and walking toward him. 

There were butterflies in your stomach, not only were you about to share with your husband the news, you also were able to share that you knew the sex of the baby. 

“Not that I didn’t love this little adventure, but what’s going on?” 

“Well, Nate, I think you have to read your last clue.” You smiled, reaching into your back pocket and handing him the envelope. This was it, you thought. Nate was going to know in a matter of seconds, and you could barely contain the smile on your face. 

Nate set his equipment bag down next to the car and then gently took the envelope out of your hand. You watched in suspense as he carefully opened it, pulling out the note and sonogram inside.

“Read it outloud.” You encouraged, giving him another wide smile.

“Congratulations the riddles are coming to an end, just know that you’ll have a lot of messages to send. Enjoy the next few months of us on standby, because baby MacKinnon will be making their debut this July.” Nate’s voice cracked at the end of the clue, he slid the small paper over and looked at the ultrasound now in his hand. His eyes welled up with tears and he quickly looked back up at you.

“You’re pregnant?” He spoke quietly, unsure of if this was all real or some horrible joke you were in on with the team. He didn’t think you would mess around with something this serious, but he also couldn’t believe what he was looking at. 

Your eyes were also glossing over with tears, feeling an unprecedented amount of joy. You nodded quickly at your husband, taking another step towards him. 

“You’re really pregnant?” He asked again, this time with more conviction.

“Yes, Nate. We’re having a baby.” You cried happily, wiping a couple of tears that had begun to cascade down your own cheeks. Nate wasted no time grabbing you and pulling you into a hug.

“I can’t believe this, we’re really having a baby?” He asked one more time, pulling the two of you apart just enough to press one hand flush against your stomach. You nodded in response and leaned up to kiss him. 

“Wait there’s another surprise.” You smiled, pecking him on the lips one more time before gesturing to his car. 

“I’m not sure anything can top this one.” He replied, quickly looking around for your car before adding,

“Wait how did you get here?” 

“Aleks dropped me off, I wanted to be able to drive home with you.” You answered nonchalantly, making a move to open up the passenger side of the car. 

The ride home was quiet, Nate drove carefully, with one hand rubbing softly against your thigh. You watched the snow covered buildings pass by you as he continued down the route back to your home.  

You were nervous as he pulled onto the street that you lived on, immediately recognizing some of the cars parked sporadically near the house. Nate looked around as he slowly pulled into the driveway.

“Why does it look like the team decided to have practice at the house?” He smirked at you, knowing there obviously was something going on.

“I don’t know, let’s go find out.” You teased, knowing fully why they were all there. You didn’t know what their plan was, but you did hand over your keys that morning to Aleks after she dropped you off, heading back to help the boys with the surprise. 

When you walked into your house, you couldn’t believe all of the work the team had managed to pull off in the short amount of time that you’d been gone. There were pastel streamers and balloons draped carefully around the living and dining room. The dining table had an arrangement of fruits and breakfast type pastries for everyone. And out back you could see a set up of a goal covered in white balloons. You jokingly wondered which one of them logged onto Pinterest to get all of these ideas. 

Nate looked around in awe. He felt like he was in a dream, one that he was desperate to not wake up from. The two of you had been trying for so long that he hadn’t really allowed himself to think of what it would feel like to have it happen. Having his team there to take part in the celebrations was an added bonus. 

“Nate dogg, come outside you need to shoot some pucks.” Gabe slapped a hand on your husband’s back, nodding toward the net that was set up out back.

“Wait, do you know what we’re having?” He quickly turned to you, setting his cup of coffee down on the table near where you were standing. You shook your head slightly, motioning toward the rest of his teammates that were all starting to head out to the backyard. 

“No, this is all them.” You smiled, grabbing his hand and leading him outside. 

Nate stepped up toward the goal, grabbing his stick from EJ, who was dressed up in the most embarrassing outfit anyone could have imagined. He stood tall, wearing a bonnet over his head and what appeared to be a giant diaper costume that you’d probably find in the clearance section at a Halloween store because it was so ugly. 

“Oh my god, what are you wearing?” Nate shook his head at his teammate.

“I lost a bet to Graves.” He rolled his eyes, glancing over at Ryan and shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter, shoot the damn puck.” He added, pushing Nate slightly toward the goal. 

Nate fired back a shot, instantly breaking a couple of balloons, silver confetti flying everywhere. He realized quickly that he needed to start shooting to pop all of the balloons, shaking his head at his teammates' knock off best shooter competition idea. 

When the puck went flying into the last balloon, pink and purple confetti started flying everywhere. Nate felt like he was moving in slow motion, dropping the stick and running to grab you. He could hear the cheers from everyone around him but all that mattered was you.

He picked you up, twirling you around quickly before gently setting you down. You reached your hand up to wipe the tears from under his eyes, smiling widely knowing that you were having a baby girl. You always knew Nate wanted a girl, believing he would be the best “girl dad” so you knew this moment was extra special for him. 

The two of you stood close for a few moments, ignoring the commotion happening around you and savouring the moment.

“You owe me $50, I told you he would cry.” Tyson argued with JT

“I single tear doesn’t count, idiot.” JT shot back.

You laughed at the two boys, leaning your head into Nate’s chest and looking at the scene around you. It may have taken a long time to get here, but you couldn’t be more excited for the family you were creating, knowing that your baby girl was going to be loved by so many.