#forger!alec hardison

[schrijverr]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, as a fandom we don’t do enough with the fact that Hardison is canonically the forger and he made Old Nate. Like he is skilled. And I feel we can make cute OT3 fics with that.

Like Hardison needing to make a fake in a genre, not a specific painting and having Eliot and/or Parker pose for him.

Or make it sexy (semi-failed) where he’s like “pose naked for me” and his partners are like “sure weirdo (affectionate)” and he thinks it’s going to be sexy, but live nude drawing isn’t really sexy, but it can be very intimate, so it’s still nice and he gets emotional about how much they trust him and how they can be vulnerable with him.

Or Eliot has banned screens and Hardison is pouting about it, but then he finds a notepad, so he settles in on the couch and observes Eliot and Parker being domestic and starts sketching them. (Maybe Eliot later finds the drawing and gets emotional about it, because this is how Hardison sees him, not a murdering monster, but this soft, happy cook).

Or he makes a little drawing of Parker and gives it to her, because he’s sappy. And he doesn’t expect anything of it, because Parker is more of the money as a gift kind of person, but then they need emergency cash, so he goes into one of her safes and it’s in there on pillow in a nice frame surrounded by diamonds, because that little drawing he made her is as precious to her, like im crying that is so soft.

Anyways, Hardison is the forger! The possibilities are endless!!!

[leverage-ot3]

thinking a lot about leverage crossovers and the one currently on my mind is a spy x family one

parker and eliot coincidentally ‘move in’ (set up headquarters) into the empty apartment next to the forgers and immediately clock something really fucking weird is going on.

sophie knows a grift when she sees one and can smell that fake-marriage-fake-family from a mile away

breanna pretends to be a few years younger and gets enrolled as sophie and harry’s adopted child (adoption? THE ELEGANCE!!!). she keeps noticing this one really young girl giving her really obvious stares (that her friend keeps trying to shake her out of doing). breanna knows something is up with that kid but is too busy doing her part of the con to figure out exactly what

hardison (who is back from space) has been spending most of his time as hacker in the apartment set up, shut in so that he doesn’t blow parker and eliot’s cover as newlyweds by randomly coming and going. and the living situation? oh no. it’s only a one bedroom apartment and there’s only one bed and three of them.

it all comes to a head when parker is sneaking through the school at the same time as loid, both so quiet and undetectable that they don’t notice each other until they basically stumble into one another. across the city, eliot is taking out some goons that coincidentally got on the garden’s bad side and yor busts down the door like the kool aid man and they both stare at each other like 😐 (the goons are too stunned and weirded out by the sudden vibes in the room to run away)

from there parker and eliot separately try to convince their counterparts that they should come clean to their partners because, trust me, it’ll be fine it will work out for the best because if there’s one thing they can’t do it’s mind their own business lmao

even after they finish their con hardison isn’t letting them leave until the forgers come clean and realize their true feelings because he’s a romantic like that (like y’all aren’t too, I see you parker and eliot)

anya has no idea what’s going on but is having the time of her life and has now also adopted herself a new crime family

it’s now her turn to match make the ot3 into finally getting together (anya can read your mind eliot, you’re DONE FOR)

[formosusiniquis]

I know leverage is the crime show about criminals so they probably aren't worried about things like being properly certified to drive a vehicle, but I like the idea that Hardison has his CDL

[creatingblackcharacters]

I love Alec Hardison from Leverage. He's a supergenius hacker who acts as the moral center of his team of con artists who steal from the rich and give to the poor

He's ultra competent as a hacker, forger and con artist, but whenever he gets in over his head his team is there to take care of him

he has a super sweet slow-burn romance with Parker, the team's cat burglar, and there are frequent hints at an ot3 with her and the team's hitter, Eliot

he's played by the absolutely stunning Aldis Hodge, and while his rising star means he appears in the reboot less than I would like, it's been awesome watching his career bloom

He's another character that's been mentioned multiple times! I love this for him! And yes, but now you can watch more films with Aldis!

[dumbass-duo-showdown]

DDS mod here with an update!!!!

So I was planning on doing a most submitted post. BUT I MADE THE LASAGNA SCALE! And here are the stats!

HERE IS THE FORM! TRIOS ARE OFFICIALLY ALLOWED BUT THEY NEED AT MINIMUM 6 SUBMISSIONS

LASAGNA STATS

Basically if you would trust your duo on making lasagna

With 33,1% of the submissions. 1/3 of the characters are probably banned from the kitchen. WITH A SIMPLE 0

After that with 17% of the votes. Comes duos with a 2 on the scale with 52 submissions.

Now our least voted options are 6,7,8,9 and 10 on the scale. Let’s reveal those characters

Now I won’t reveal how many submissions each got. Some got 4, some 3, some are just solo submissions

6 on the scale

We have

The Dr & Donna from Dr Who

Porsche and Pete from Kinnporsche: The Series

Henchman 21 & Henchman 24 from The Venture Bros

Yor & Loid Forger from Spy x Family

Elder Price and Elder Cunningham from Book of Mormon

@gregorygerwitz & @kitthekazoo (yes I allowed real people and people submitted themselves)

Bill Preston & Ted Logan from Bill & Teds excellent adventure (this was the second highest score they got)

Walter White & Jessie Pinkman from breaking bad

Pete Wentz and Gabe Saporta from Bandom

Calvin & Hobbes from uhh… the comic of the same name

Now for our 7, where 11 duos landed

We have

Bill Preston & Ted Logan, again!

Jack O'Neill & Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1

Mayday & Zuke aka Bunk bed junction from no straight roads

Laura Hollis & Carmilla Karnstein from Carmilla

Allison & Paige. I still need your URLs please DM me

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi & Barnaby Brooks Jr from Tiger and Bunny

Alec Hardison & Elliot Spencer from Leverage

Rean Schwarzer & Crow Armbrust from Trails/Kiseki series

Madoka Kaname & Sayaka Miki from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Mayday & Zuke, again

Eustass "Captain" Kid, Trafalgar D. Water Law, Monkey D. Luffy from one piece (oh yeah about uhh Luffy is in another duo with like an equal amount of submissions and I won’t allow him to go in twice. Hes stupid but not a cheater)

7 duos have gotten an 8 on the save

We have!

Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took from lord of the rings

Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter from Agents of SHIELD

Jessie & James from Pokémon

Lup & Taako from the adventure zone (credit to @arojovela for the fanart!)

Nathan and Jacob from drawfree

Shadow/cid kagenou & beta from the eminence in shadow

Monkey D Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji from one piece

Time for the 9s!

We have 6 characters here!

Romana(dvoratrelundar) & Leela from Gallifrey (Doctor Who expanded universe)

The Bros from the bro duet

Mary Quinn & Sarah McCool from Derry Girls

Dana Scully & Fox Mulder from the X-files

Sokka & Zuko from Avatar: the last airbender

Someone’s mom and dad (they said I could draw stick figures)

Now for the 10s, let see who we can trust in the kitchen

Here. They. ARE!

TK Strand and Evan "Buck" Buckley from 911/911 lone star (I know I make jokes about being followed by OP fans but buck has followed me more. I CANT escape him)

Lanz and Sena from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (credit to Illius on pixiv for the fanart)

Spongebob & Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants (they also got a 0)

Nozaki Umetarou & Mikoto Mikoshiba from Monthly Girls' Nozaki Kun

Billie and Thea from Bill & Ted Face the music

@mb-blue-roses & @sungsyc-amore

Rin Okumura & Kuro from Blue exorcist

kirika akatsuki & shirabe tsukuyomi from senki zesshou symphogear

Mario & Luigi

TK Strand and Evan 'Buck' Buckley, again

(Btw sup @tournamentdirectory)

[xoteajays]

drama shows

leverage

name: kali varo, born ‘chandrakala pema’ ship: eliot spencer x parker x alec hardison faceclaim: tsunaina summary: The first and only born to a lawyer and a therapist, Kali Varo grew up in a so-called secretive house. Her parents didn’t talk about their work. All confidentiality. Kali quickly learnt the key to keeping secrets. On the other hand, to say she was lonely was an understatement. She grew up lonely and she grew into a lonely job. Art forgery didn’t exactly make for close friendships. Kali was no longer just herself. She was the forger, playing the art restorer or the authenticator or whatever got her close enough to art to replicate it and switch it out for her fakes. She had names upon names, almost forgetting her own the more she stepped into these roles. A good eye for details and a steady hand created a reputation that preceded her, she was one of the best in the business. Victor Dubenich wasn’t the first person to contact her, but he was the one to change her life.

criminal minds

name: bailey cary, born belen socorro ship: derek morgan faceclaim: brianna marquez summary: Bailey Cary, born Belen Socorro, was a daughter, forensic doctor, and the last known victim of a serial child kidnapper, the Dollmaker. When given the chance to join the FBI's BAU as a profiler, she takes it and quickly finds a family in the team. The past always has a way of coming back though.

prodigal son

name: shilo grey ship: malcolm bright faceclaim: conor leslie summary: Shilo Grey was born in a storm, she was brought into the world with the sound of rain. The only child of a single mother, she never knew her father and her mother had little interest in ever telling her, never giving an answer to her questions. She was an odd child, quiet and wide eyed with an streak of strange happenstances from which she always avoided the blame. Her oddness only grew when ‘the surgeon’, Martin Whitly, was arrested. An obsession began and it never quite died. Years later, she’s working with the NYPD, a forensic pathology working under Dr Tanaka. She leads a double life of which nobody suspects her; she’s always been careful. She’s got secrets, ones she’s working even harder to hide while getting close to her new co-worker, Malcolm Bright; but her intentions flicker like a metronome.

[the-erstwhile-baker]

The Renaissance Job

- [ ] You’re the Forger for the team; this involves getting every prop they need, set-dressing, etc. Realistically, Hardison shouldn’t have the time or skill to do ALL of it.

- [ ] You’ve been on the team since their move to Boston, when they realized they needed another person.

- [ ] You’re best friends with Parker and Hardison; you vibe with Parker’s neurodivergent energy and love talking sci-fi with Alec, even if your computer knowledge is. Tragically bad.

- [ ] You’ve had a crush on Eliot for months; you worry about him constantly on the job, but are always a little intimidated by him. Not that you think he would ever hurt you, but you just don’t think you and him are on the same level in terms of what you add to the team/your level of expertise. You make posters; he can take out a dozen armed guys without breaking a sweat.

- [ ] One day, one of your maker friends comes to you in distress that her corsetry designs have been stolen and copied by a popular fast fashion corporation

- [ ] She’s tried to sue for theft of intellectual property but as it wasn’t patented and they can afford way more court fees….it doesn’t go anywhere.

- [ ] At the next renfaire she and her husband were at, he was jousting and there was an “accident” that wasn’t really an accident. He was seriously injured, and she knows it was done by the company to silence her.

- [ ] She needs her designs back more than ever now, as her business is suffering and she can’t pay her husband’s medical bills if it keeps on this trajectory.

- [ ] Of course you bring her to Nate, and the team takes the job.

- [ ] At first, your plan is simple: break into the offices of the company with some ruse (think the fashion week episode, but a little calmer and more corporate) and create a distraction big enough to get Parker into the head guys office so she can plant a usb drive and Hardison can retrieve the design files.

- [ ] But when you get them, you realize: there are hundreds of other artists they’ve done this to. Hardison runs a search and finds out that quite a few of them have family members or have themselves sustained injuries under mysterious circumstances.

- [ ] It becomes a bigger picture: so, let’s go steal ourselves a Renaissance Faire.

- [ ] While you could pose as a maker yourself, you decide that the best way to handle this would be to steer the mark into the hands of the cops, so your cover doesn’t get too much scrutiny in a way that might negatively affect the case. Basically, you’re going to have to catch them red-handed in the actual act.

- [ ] So, you go undercover at a renfaire!!!!

- [ ] You have never been more excited

- [ ] You got to make renfaire outfits for all your friends, your crush, and yourself. Holy shit.

- [ ] Nate is the most practically dressed; simple, quasi-Elizabethan outfit: floppy circular hat, puffy pants, feather, brown cloak, etc. nothing too flashy, but definitely nice. He’ll be in the background, keeping an eye on everyone and everything—particularly the management of the faire.

- [ ] Sophie is enveloped in her fortune tellers getup: shawls, a headscarf, heavy makeup, many amulets, jangly bracelets, etc. she kinda loves it, though it is a bit much. It’s perfect for her. She’ll talk to makers and visitors through her sessions and gather information that way.

- [ ] Parker is dressed as a rogue: leather pants and jacket, all tightly fitted, with TONS of pockets and a utility belt with all kinds of fun toys that for once, she doesn’t even have to hide. She’s having so much fun getting to be entirely herself in public that she doesn’t even argue with you about the elf ears. She’ll be picking pockets of anyone the rest of the team deems suspicious, looking for connections to the corporation.

- [ ] Hardison, as there’s no tech to hack at a renfaire, is a jester. He is less than pleased about this. Though he’s a nerd, he prefers sci-fi to fantasy. (This confuses Eliot.) By far. He is very upset at the thought of a place with no computers and no modern amenities. He will be on pickpocket duty with Parker, providing distraction for her to steal, keeping an eye out, and making sure she doesn’t get herself into too much trouble. (Ha.)

- [ ] And Eliot….you simply couldn’t resist. And why should you? It was perfect for the con. You dress Eliot as a knight, complete with full suit of armor. He’ll be security, as usual, but also have another job. If/when the rest of you identify a maker who is likely to be the next target, he’ll act as bodyguard to them and whatever family they have there.

- [ ] And you. You’re dressed much as you would actually dress to go to a renfaire. Simple brown or green skirt with hikes, brown boots, lovely stays and a chemise. Your only real concession to fun is a set of beautiful deer antlers adorned with flowers, plus a little makeup. Hardison has gotten you into the renfaire lineup of performers as a musician; you plan to put the many folk songs and murder ballads you know to good use. The stage is set up right next to the makers’ tents, so you’ll have an excellent view and be able to point the others in a certain direction.

- [ ] It starts off fine

- [ ] Nate’s at the entrance, pretending to be management and keeping an eye both on employees and visitors coming in

- [ ] Sophie’s got her booth set up

- [ ] Without any specific mark to target yet, Parker is HAVING SO MUCH FUN. she’s turning cartwheels, stealing shit and then openly giving it back with a smile (causing many startled looks, as well as laughter) and it’s just making her so happy that she’s being completely herself—not Alice white—and people are accepting her.

- [ ] Hardison is wrangling her, pretending to be grumpy at “his girlfriend” but really loving watching her be so happy

- [ ] Eliot’s walking around near the makers tents and the stage, one hand on his sword (bc ofc u got him a sword, who are you kidding), looking out for trouble or people with any “distinctive” characteristics

- [ ] You’re onstage, about to begin your set of folk songs. You’re nervous, because the team has never heard you sing before and you’ve never really talked about that part of your life until the prep for this job

- [ ] You’re especially nervous bc Eliot is closest to you and can watch, though ofc everyone can hear you on comms

- [ ] You sing a few songs; Sophie says that she had an odd customer—he was twitchy and seemed disinterested in the reading until she told him to beware of the future of his career or something, and he freaked out a bit and snapped at her before leaving quickly.

- [ ] That puts Parker and Hardison on his tail; Hardison tells bad jokes in a weird, awful Shakespearean dialect. When no one laughs, he starts juggling badly, and then turns it into slapstick at his own expense, which finally gets laughs enough for Parker to steal the guys wallet

- [ ] She scans his cards and returns his wallet to him with a little bow. He’s angry and storms off, though the crowd sides with Parker for staying “in character.” She’s a lil confused but happy nonetheless.

- [ ] Parker and Hardison go back to Sophie’s tent where she’s put up a “closed” sign

- [ ] That’s where they’re keeping the tech

- [ ] Hardison does his thing and finds that he’s recently received a big payment from a shell company that traces back to the fast fashion corp

- [ ] During this Eliot is subtly tailing the guy while you and Nate keep an eye on things

- [ ] When Eliot sees the guy about to approach a booth, Nate tells you and Sophie to go help him and gather information

- [ ] The two of you make your way over there and plant a bug on the guy

- [ ] You and Sophie and Eliot continue shopping around while Hardison listens and Eliot keeps an eye out for suspicious activity

- [ ] Sophie asks you if you think a particular item would be a good favor to give your boyfriend

- [ ] You’re playing along, a little confused, until Sophie motions get head toward Eliot

- [ ] You blush hugely and deny everything (it just sounds like a cover convo to the rest of the team) but Sophie can tell the truth of everything. She buys the favor for you :)

- [ ] Just then Alec comes in saying that he’s just heard a very interesting convo from the bug, and plays it for y’all over comms

- [ ] It starts with the guy proposing a deal of some sort to the maker to sell their design to the company, but the maker refuses. The guy pretends to be okay with that, asking if he can just buy one then, “to admire it”

- [ ] The maker obvs says no, she’s heard about all the stuff going on and he’s not trying very hard to hide it. He then threatens her and her family without specifics. The maker still refuses and threatens to call the cops on him. He laughs and says good luck trying to prove anything, then walks away.

- [ ] Y’all meet up back at Sophie’s fortune telling tent to make a game plan

- [ ] Hardison runs the makers name and gets her relatives and friends names but how are you gonna know who they’re gonna target??

- [ ] You recognize one name though—from a sign at the faire. It’s her brother, who’s going to be fighting at the tournament

- [ ] Hardison runs a background check on the guy he’ll be fighting and it turns out it’s a fake persona

- [ ] Eliot looks at photos and videos and knows he’s a professional

- [ ] The fight starts in ten minutes and no one is sure quite what to do other than that you have to save the brother

- [ ] At first Eliot is just gonna go knock the guy out, but Nate stops him for two reasons. Firstly, because the company would just send another person another day. Secondly, because he thinks provoking him during the fight will get him to confess something.

- [ ] So y’all all run over to the tournament; Eliot takes the surcoat, banner, and helmet from the brother, briefly explaining what’s going on, and goes out for him (visor down, obvs)

- [ ] The hired guy fights dirty, and Eliot lets him get several good shots in until he gets in close

- [ ] The guy starts taunting him about his sisters designs, making it out to be her fault and her choice over him

- [ ] He basically confessed the whole plan in an attempt to intimidate who he thinks is the brother

- [ ] Eliot is wearing a mic, and Hardison tells him they’ve got it over comms; they’ll send it to bonanno later

- [ ] That’s when the guy hits Eliot really hard, and you scream his name in worry. Confused, the guy takes Eliot’s helmet off—and his face is priceless. Eliot then takes. Him. Down. In the most epic sword fight you’ve seen in person

- [ ] You’re VERY distracted by this turn of events

- [ ] The crowd loves it; they think all of this was just a particularly well-executed tournament for their entertainment

- [ ] The announcers ask him about the favor he’s wearing

- [ ] You’re confused when he blushes a little; wasn’t that just the favor the brother was wearing??? But as you look closer, you realize it’s the favor Sophie bought for you

- [ ] You glare at Parker, who immediately folds and says Sophie told her to

- [ ] You’re blushing furiously as they have you come down for a picture with Eliot, and you’re extremely embarrassed as he seems to be acting a bit awkward

- [ ] You don’t say much on the ride back, running the days events through your mind over and over

- [ ] You’re upset because you were having such a good time on this job—getting to dress your friends, sing, etc—but Sophie just had to meddle and now everything’s ruined and he’s probably never even going to speak to you again

- [ ] When you get back to the office, you head immediately for your workshop to distract yourself and be alone

- [ ] But that backfires

- [ ] Because a few minutes later Eliot walks in; he doesn’t know how to get the suit of armor off by himself

- [ ] You laugh a little bitterly, thinking that it’s just your luck

- [ ] You help him take everything off

- [ ] He’s awkward and doesn’t say much the whole time, making you feel even worse

- [ ] You take off the favor and are rambling about how it’s stupid and Sophie shouldn’t have bought it and so on and you’re just going to throw it away when Eliot stops you

- [ ] He asks if he can keep it

- [ ] You’re shocked and you briefly wonder if he means anything by it

- [ ] But then your defenses slam into place and you’re like “yeah sure, make fun of the nerd who makes stupid costumes and blah blah blah” “you obviously didn’t want to wear it with how you were acting after etc”

- [ ] And he’s confused and hurt like “why would I make fun of you and how is this doing that anyway”

- [ ] And finally you just can’t take it anymore and you look at him, crying, and you tell him you have feelings for him

- [ ] He’s confused and is like but you don’t talk to me very much

- [ ] You say you’re intimidated by him

- [ ] His shoulders slump and you immediately realize that you’ve made a mistake

- [ ] That he thinks of himself only as a killer, a weapon, and you think of him that way too

- [ ] You quickly move to reassure him that’s not what you meant, that you meant in terms of what he contributes to the team, what he’s able to do, that your job seems stupid and pointless by comparison

- [ ] He looks at you incredulous

- [ ] He talks about how you create things when he destroys

- [ ] And he admits that…he wants to keep the favor because he has feelings for you too

- [ ] He has for a long time

- [ ] And that hearing you sing was so distracting he almost blew the entire con

- [ ] That hearing you call his name gave him new strength

- [ ] (Not all this at once but interspersed throughout the scene)

- [ ] You kiss!!

- [ ] !!!!

- [ ] And then you hear cheers and clapping and are VERY confused

- [ ] Until you hear Alec say “goddamn, finally!” And realize with horror that you’ve still been on comms the entire. Fucking. Time.

- [ ] Eliot says “damn it Hardison” and blushes a LOT

- [ ] then you get a mischievous look in your eye and raise an eyebrow at Eliot

- [ ] He grins and says something to the effect of “you might not like hearing what comes next” and Hardison VERY QUICKLY turns off the comms

- [ ] You both take your earbuds out and laugh and laugh

- [ ] And begin to kiss some more.

- [ ] fin :)

[be-gay-do-heists]

still thinking about hardison and that fucking painting. the old nate painting

[qwanderer]

Sometimes I'm just sitting there thinking about how Neal Caffrey has a friend with a beautiful Manhattan penthouse he can borrow for jobs and Alec Hardison has a brilliant forger friend who can't leave the states and I go

Yes. They are friends.

[iamthedukeofurl]

Nobody cares, but here are my standby White Collar/Leverage Crossover headcanons. Neil never worked directly with any of the Leverage crew, although he knows about Sophie and Parker, and Nate chased him a few times.  When Hardison had to go from “hacker” to “full-service support crew” he had to learn a lot of the forger’s craft. He learned a lot of that by studying records of Neil Caffery’s work. Neil has never heard of Alec Hardison (He doesn’t really go in for hacking, much easier to use a smile), but Hardison knows ALL About Neil Caffery.  Mozzie and Sophie know each other, and have some sort of beef that they won’t describe. Mozzie exclusively refers to Sophie as “Annabelle” for some reason he won’t get into. Theories abound from “They’re bitter exes” to “Best friends doing a bit” to “Mozzie wrote a play and Sophie starred in it, thus ending Mozzie’s career as a playwrite”.  Peter and Nate know about each other. Peter thinks of Nate Ford as a brilliant investigator who dropped off the map after his son died. Back in his Insurance days Nate didn’t think about Peter Burke very much, now that he’s running Leverage Inc. He’s got Peter on this list of “People to be very worried about snooping around our financials or identities”. 

[sanvitheartificer]

Time travel fix it is my favorite trope, but Leverage has nothing to fix. I've thought before about Parker from post-canon going back to the first season and mostly just angst resulting?? it wouldn't be great for anyone. Lately, though, I've been thinking about Eliot going back in time and protecting Hardison from Nate (and also experiencing a lot of the same kinds of angst, but – you're breaking a good timeline, so that's pretty inevitable).

There's a lot of moments where the rest of the team take Hardison for granted, and it's different than ways other team members are treated. Think of all the times Hardison has been asked to do something that is not in his skillset perfectly on extremely short notice: that time he made a perfect forgery of a notebook within like two days, that time he landed a plane, that time Nate hypnotized him without his consent to play a violin solo, that other time he landed a plane.

All of the team is pushed out of their comfort zone sometimes; Parker has a lot of moments where the con depends on her grifting, which is comparable, I think? But it feels different. I don't understand why they wouldn't just contact a forger for the notebook, and there was no reason to hypnotize Hardison without his consent – hypnotism actually works better with a willing subject.

Some of these moments are just the heat of the con and that's the only way out. Sometimes, though, it's Nate pushing. With both Hardison and Parker, I think Nate is trying to push these kids to learn things and be things they wouldn't be able to without the pressure. But he has more respect for Parker's boundaries, because when Parker is pushed too far, sometimes she stabs someone with a fork and dives out a window. Whereas when Hardison is pushed too far, he freaks out in a quiet way that doesn't endanger the con, so it doesn't matter (to Nate) if he goes way past what Hardison feels capable of doing, because Nate knows his boundaries better than Hardison does and Hardison is just a useful little chess piece.

In canon, Eliot never really objects or moves to protect Hardison from Nate, although the instinct of “protect Hardison” develops pretty early. That's because in the first few seasons Eliot needs a good man in charge, someone who he trusts to call the plays who isn't him. Nate doesn't have to be nice, doesn't have to be fun to talk to, doesn't have to treat Eliot or his coworkers well, he just needs to call the plays in a way Eliot is convinced is good. Because at this point Eliot doesn't believe he can choose to do something good, doesn't trust himself to know what's good if it bit him on the ass. He got out of working with Moreau, and it was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and then he was left doing jobs and existing, because at that point it was the only thing he knew how to do. The people he works for aren't Moreau, but they're still the kind of people who'd hire Eliot Spencer, until he works with Nate Ford. So as soon as Eliot works with Nate Ford, he clings to him, yeah, because here is a person who could use Eliot Spencer for good.

But take time travel, and suddenly, Eliot's gone through years of character growth and learned that he can figure out what's the good thing to do, and when he doesn't know, he can lean on Hardison and Parker and they'll help him figure it out. Eliot doesn't need to blindly follow someone halfway-decent anymore. He's never gonna be that kid in the mirror again, with the flag on his shoulder and the hand on his heart; he's never going to trust himself easily to good. But Eliot's done plenty of difficult things and figuring out what the good thing is, every day? That's not on the same planet as the hardest thing he's ever done.

And so here's post-canon Eliot, who knows when Nate's joking and when he's not and doesn't need him in the same way any more. He's got some new perspective. And the first time Nate asks Hardison for something that Eliot knows Hardison could do, but will hurt him to give, Eliot gives him a calm and reasonable speech in the bar after hours about respecting Hardison's boundaries, and he's smiling, and his eyes are relaxed, and Nate is suddenly extremely aware that he works with one of the most dangerous people in the world every day and there's about a dozen opportunities an hour for that to go wrong, if they don't trust each other. And, because he's Nate, he does it again anyway, but he tries.

Or fuck time travel and just write a fic that's “five times someone protected and/or celebrated alec hardison” because come ON hardison is AMAZING and does absolutely fucking mindblowing things on the regular and I want people to very explicitly point it out and appreciate him okay

[somestorythoughts]

There’s that part in this episode where Hardison is freaking out (as one does when a terrorist is about to cause a pandemic - watched this episode recently and it was just a little too real) and Eliot says “I’ve got the best thief, and the smartest man I know chasing this guy. Hey. You’re the smartest man I know.”

And I used to see that gif a lot when I was looking at Leverage stuff but hadn’t seen the show in years and I would think something like, “that’s an especially strong statement since they both know Nate who is the guy who comes up with all these brilliant crazy plans.” And then I was finally ale to rewatch Leverage and as I was very enthusiastically making my way through the show I realized “nope, that’s wrong.”

Because Hardison is a freaking genius. Everyone in these team is very intelligent in different ways, they all have their areas of expertise. And yeah, Nate Ford is one of those genius who knows how to fuck with people’s brains. Alec Hardison is the computer genius, he’s a renowned hacker who makes his girlfriend a safe cracking robot (shame we don’t see more of it), spontaneously hacks a car in 2 minutes despite starting off with no plan for it, rigs a country’s election leading to the brilliant line “I’ve got a 23 year old with a smartphone and a problem with authority. You never stood a chance.” His brilliance with computers and technical things is showcased throughout the show, but let us not forget that this is the man who forged a 300 (or thereabouts) year old book that could fool an expert despite never having done anything like that before.

Can we just think about that for a moment? Sophie gives him the recipe but Hardison makes it work. He’s not a forger though he might be an artist, I was never sure if he painted the old Nate or had it done. The only issue with that book is that it didn’t have the time to dry, but it still fooled an expert. He’s also managed to keep his team’s identities and such looking completely legitimate which considering how many powerful people they fuck with and how many identities they have is really impressive. He tells Nate in the first episode “you pick up a lot of stuff” but I think he does that too. Maybe they all do.

Long story short is I vastly misremembered just how smart Hardison is and when Eliot says “You’re the smartest man I know” he isn’t joking.

[potatoesandsunshine]

alec hardison for the character asks!

aaaa thanks for the ask!!! hardison... one of the greatest characters of all time... this got incredibly long so part of it is going under the cut!!

favorite thing about them

on a show that is all about hypercompetent people doing their hypercompetent thing, hardison is truly a standout even on the leverage crew. you can do kind of a fun body/mind/heart thing for the ot3 (eliot/hardison/parker is how i kind of see that dynamic if that makes sense lol, though tbh you can argue swapping eliot and parker as body and heart) and hardison really just. is an incredibly fast learner. that moment in the king george job where we learn that he’s spent the past couple days becoming a forger on top of all the other tech stuff he was presumably doing in the background is just. *chef kiss* i love him. more forger hardison... why did we only get one episode of that...

least favorite thing about them

ok i’m sorry i don’t remember the episode right now but there’s one in maybe season three where they’re running a con on this guy who did a hit and run a long time ago and hardison doctors some security footage digitally to get him brought in by the police and like... i don’t know if that’s something i can put squarely on hardison but the Ethics of that were, Oof. (i actually do kind of like that hardison being so good with tech sometimes trips the “Technology Has Gone Too Far” alarm in my brain but also i don’t like it :/)

favorite line

“No, you ignored us. You screwed up. You.” in the Three Strikes Job is... perfect... we love people calling nate out in season one and hardison is so serious in that moment, and he’s right and aaaagh oh and of course, the ever-iconic “Hey Sterling, get out of my house.” in the First David Job. chills.

brOTP

i know i just said i love nate getting called out but nate and hardison are a brOTP. that moment in the San Lorenzo Job... “a 24-year-old genius with a smartphone and a problem with authority” really is nate saying hardison is better than you and the media and the army and the government... maybe it’s silly to put it like this but it’s such a moment of faith from nate? everyone relies on hardison so much but nate especially does in this episode and it’s kinda emblematic of their friendship. 

OTP

the ot3..... it’s the ot3. what could i say that hasn’t been said for them by other people, better. eliot/hardison/parker is the perfect ship. the eternal standard.

nOTP

don’t really have one but i guess given some thought the very idea of hardison and colin ‘chaos’ mason together is yuck to me actually. like i can see how you might get there (both hackers) but i just hate chaos so much ashdkjash he is on the list of most punchable leverage characters to me.

random headcanon

as i have stated already i simply believe that forger!hardison is extremely underrated, i guess i just think he’s doing more forgery behind the scenes.

unpopular opinion

if leverage was starting ten years later hardison would be fully a villain to me; like i’m sorry but the amount of surveillance he does was something i didn’t mind in like 2010 but now that we know that stuff is Real... if i didn’t have the protection of nostalgia i would not be such a hardison fan. still love him tho!!

in the context of the show... he did present that safecracking robot pretty poorly... @ hardison why were you surprised that parker was upset..

song i associate with them

sorry to cheat with an ot3 song but Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty... 

favorite picture of them

i don’t have one handy but just imagine any picture where he’s standing in front of one of the various configurations of screens that he was always running those slideshows about the mark on. i love those dang things.

[leveragebigbang]

Leverage 2017 Big/Mini Bang Master List

a chair is not a house by greenurr Cover art, Art, and NSFW Art by steverogersisbi  Summary: After the war, Eliot moves back home, and gets a dog. There’s more to it than that. An AU in which Eliot returns home from the army missing a leg and an eye, Hardison is a slightly famous internet gamer, and Parker runs a circus. A story that involves dogs, and no crime, unless you include the dogs stealing our heroes’ hearts.

Dead Man’s Hand by meils121 Soundtrack and Cover Art by poppetawoppet Summary: Eliot lets himself slip away, away from the pain and the hurt and everything else. He finally allows himself to die. An old enemy of Eliot’s threatens everything he cares about. With Eliot badly injured, it’s up to the team to take this enemy down before they can do any more damage. Eliot struggles with the guilt he feels and the need he has to protect his team.

The Freedom Job by Telaryn Fanvideo and Gifset by IndigoNight Summary: In a world where vampires and things that go bump in the night and deals with demons are real, the Leverage team has in recent years been playing on a larger and darker stage than they ever expected to be. They've adapted, of course, with knowledge of their own pasts unearthed to help them along. And to the outside observer, they might even look like they're thriving. These days though, they're driven by a secret. One they can barely talk about amongst themselves - in order to save the lives of Sophie, Eliot and Hardison, Nate allowed himself to be roped into a deal with the King of Hell, with his soul the price. It's a deal they may be forced to live with - for now - but one the Leverage team will never settle for. And when a man from another world, with the powers of a God, comes to them looking for help, the team will confront Heaven, Hell and Death itself in order to find a way out.

Hearts Wrapped in Clover by BabylonsFall Video and Cover Art by benjaminrussell Summary: Hardison, Parker, Nate, and Sophie have managed to successfully run Leverage, Inc. on their own, for three years running now. But when the bullet meant for a mark strikes a little too close to home, and outside pressures start threatening the team, they decide to split up, to lay low, running from both the Italian’s threats and Moreau’s attention. Nate and Sophie head out to provide a moving target, Hardison and Parker disappear into the countryside to the very last place anyone would think to look for them. And, just their luck, the neighbor’s even weirder than they are.

If You Ever Want to Be in Love (I’ll Come Around) by serenelystrange Fanmix by MorningStar461  Summary: In which Hardison finds himself falling for both the quiet but charming baker, and for the quirky ice cream shop owner that works on the other side of the street. The only problem is, he can’t seem to make either one of them realize how perfect they could be together, until he bites off more than he can chew!*

Make Way For Ducklings by page_runner Art by ponderosa121 Summary: It’s been seven years since Nate and Sophie walked away; two since circumstances forced Hardison, Parker, and Eliot into retirement. Meanwhile, the kids they met during jobs have grown up, influenced by the strangers who briefly entered their lives, and who are about to make a reappearance.

My Perfect Thief by kawuli Art by magnetgirl Summary: “Kid, you’re lucky you ended up here, nobody else would put up with your shit.” Parker’s latest foster family is just like all the rest. Maybe they’re right, maybe no one will put up with her. Fine. Fuck families. Parker doesn’t want one. New York City is far enough away and big enough to get lost in, and Parker knows how to survive on her own. And then she runs into the strangest thief she’s ever met. Archie Leach has a plan for Parker that for once she’s happy to go along with. She’s going to be the best thief ever.

on a wing and a prayer by treepyful Art by bloodinamug Summary: “You’ve seriously never heard of Ravens?”

Once Upon A Time (we fell in love) by chewingonpearls/Reallife Art by cuartist Summary: That was the day Hardison and Parker realized, when Eliot was threatening to punch people for them what he was really saying was “I love you.”

The Ophidiophobia Job by Glinda Art by IllustratedJai Summary: Leverage/Stargate SG1 Crossover. Team Leverage discover that their mark has access to lots of highly classified alien technology. Eliot calls in some help from a 'buddy in the business' and it turns out he worked for the Stargate programme. Conspiracies are discovered, bombs are defused, aliens are fought, and part of the team get stranded offworld.

The (Other) Fairy Godparents Job by RyLee Art by BuckytheDucky  Summary: Even before Leverage, Parker, Eliot and Hardison find themselves helping the helpless. Once a upon a time, in a faraway land, a prince and a peasant girl fell in love and had a child, a healthy baby girl. But their happiness was not to last, as the prince’s family disapproved of the union and invoked evil forces to conspire against them. Death took the new parents before their daughter ever had a chance to know them. She was left all alone the world, at the mercy of the same evil that stole away her parents. The child may have met the same ill fate had she not had the good fortune to encounter three blessed benefactors.

The Present Job by ourdarkspirits Art by Idwart Summary: The team decides to take a break from work and Hardison plans a surprise.

the soul of the matter by SafelyCapricious Art by InklingDancer Summary: Everyone is born with a way to find their soulmate, but fate is rarely so simple or so kind. The team faces a soulmark-forger con-artist as well as truths about themselves. Just how important is fate in the hands of five fair criminals?

Steal that Swing by coppersunshine Podfic by ramblingandpie  Summary: “It was something like desperation that led Eliot to start looking up dance organizations in the area. At this point it was either punch or dance, and the punching hadn’t worked out so well. The first search result took him to a well-designed, minimalist site. “Lindy-Hop, West Coast, and East Coast Swing, Wednesdays at 7pm. Free Drop-in Lesson! Dance $5.” Eliot glanced at his watch. 7 o’clock already, but he’d still make the open dance. He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.”

Taste of Freedom by SassySnowperson Food: a schematic (companion art) by magnetgirl Summary: Eliot finally found the gumption to break free of Moreau, but the scars a man like that leaves don’t fade easily. Eliot’s in a bad place, and cooking is the only thing that brings him any sort of peace. But then a tiny blonde thief thinks he’ll make an lucrative mark and breaks into his apartment, intent on robbing Eliot blind. Parker’s so surprised to find a mattress and…nothing else that she’s determined to fix things. A story of families of choice, food, and figuring out how to be a person again.

Trained Monkeys and Doughnuts by keepitdreamin Art by sarah-likeaboss Summary: “It’s the first time they all sleep together without actually sleeping together, and it marks the shift of something fundamental in their relationship. Something, Eliot considers later, that he wouldn’t change back for the world.” How the trio get together featuring stupid feelings, a trained monkey and cuddles.

The Troll in the Dungeons Job by the_afterlight Summary: October 31, 2007, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland In an echo of fifteen years past, Hogwarts students are enjoying their Hallowe'en feast when a professor comes into the Great Hall with news of a troll in the dungeons. Back to back at their separate tables, fourth-years Alec Hardison and Parker share a glance before slipping away in an attempt to find the creature, only to be caught on their way by fifth-year prefect Eliot Spencer – who is only out and about because he noticed that another student, seventh-year Sophie Deveraux, was absent from the feast. Hoping to find her before the troll does, the three find themselves following her trail into a long-forgotten section of the castle. What secrets does Hogwarts hold? What is Sophie after? Who let the troll into the school? And what will the headmistress say when she finds out?

An Unwanted Job Offer by Nonesane Art by alexiane250  Summary: Alec and Parker’s lazy morning at home is cut short as they realize they haven’t seen Eliot all day. It’s been a long time since Eliot went MIA without leaving a note or a message. Where could he be?

Sweet Home Kentuky Fanmix by dazebras

[capriciouswrites]

the soul of the matter by capriciouswrites

Rating: M

Pairing(s): Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer, Background: Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford

Major Warnings: none

Other Tags:Past Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, soul marks, Soulmates, Unreliable Narrator

Summary: Everyone is born with a way to find their soulmate, but fate is rarely so simple or so kind. The team faces a soulmark-forger con-artist as well as truths about themselves. Just how important is fate in the hands of five fair criminals?

Beautiful art (here) by: inklingdancer

@leveragebigbang

[ao3feed-leverage-ot3]

the soul of the matter

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2iFHTiz

by SafelyCapricious

Everyone is born with a way to find their soulmate, but fate is rarely so simple or so kind.

The team faces a soulmark-forger con-artist as well as truths about themselves. Just how important is fate in the hands of five fair criminals?

Words: 5160, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Leverage

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Parker (Leverage), Alec Hardison, Eliot Spencer, Sophie Devereaux (Leverage), Nathan Ford

Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer, Background: Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford

Additional Tags: Past Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, soul marks, Soulmates, Unreliable Narrator

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2iFHTiz