#leverage fic

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

They don't talk about it.

But there's no way Nate should know those things. No way the client could have told him, no way he could've figured it out on his own. Not when these things were nothing more than fleeting thoughts from the mark. But Sophie notices him quietly go for the scotch behind the counter and rub at his head in pain with extra vehemence some days despite the latest con having no personal connection to him.

They don't talk about it.

But someone should've recognized Sophie on that con. There's no way she could have that many characters per con. No way none of those diplomats didn't recognize her from any of her previous cons. Not when she didn't change any more than her clothes and accent. But Nate notices her features seem to flicker at the peace and safety of home when she thinks he isn't watching.

They don't talk about it.

But no one could've survived that. And certainly not looking the way he does. There's no way he didn't come out of that fight broken and bloodied to all hell. Not when instead he walks out with a purposeful stride and only a clenched jaw, rolling his shoulders. But when he's cooking and accidentally burns himself, Parker notices the unmarked skin left behind.

They don't talk about it.

But not all vents are human sized. They all saw the size of the vent cover as she exists with a grin. There's no way she could've fit in there. Not when the human body can't bend that way, a way that even the greatest contortionist can't bend. But some days Hardison notices as she seems to stretch and bend before his eyes when she's feeling relaxed and safe enough.

They don't talk about it.

But that's not how computers work. There's no way Hardison could access that kind of thing. Not when he describes how he did it like that. Not when he does it so quickly like that. Not when he says he's taken berries and the next thing they know he's recreated a colonial era journal to perfection. But Eliot swore he shoved a glass of water at him, not more goddamn orange soda.

They don't talk about it, the thing lingering over their heads as they conduct each con, the unacknowledged thing between the five of them that's a little deeper than just a desire to take down the rich and powerful.

They aren't perfect, they all know that- sometimes they're too good with their covers, sometimes they have to shift gears as the con unfolds before them, but somehow things always seem to work out.

But no one asks about it, so-

They don't talk about it.

[gargoyleandgremlinpress]

My final Fanfic Writers' Appreciation Day package has been delivered! Ten Prides in Portland by Leiascully and Simple Machines by coffeesuperhero continue the Leverage OT3 theme I've got going on this year. The fic aren't necessarily a series, but are thematically connected, and also the authors are married to each other. (It happens! My wife and I met writing Due South and Hard Core Logo fanfic lo these many years ago!)

There are some similar things I adore about both these fics. I love the sort of playing with structure in both of them, and watching the characters evolve, and also, seeing the queer community in all of its heartfelt messy occasionally infuriating glory. I also adore the thoughtful Eliot character exploration.

First off, Ten Prides in Portland! What it says on the tin. Ten years post-series at a certain brewpub in Portland, as Elliott finds queer community and figures himself out. This book is the reason I now have rainbow ribbon for bookmarks. As you can see, I went so very literal with this one. Homemade book cloth, acrylic paint, and cardstock endpapers printed with a map of Portland.

I had way too much fun with the layout on this one! It was an easy theme to lean into.

Eliot navigates a relationship with two people he loves, runs a restaurant, and figures himself out. I love the character dynamics, the cast of queer characters, and the way the second fic in the series is structured around brewpub menu items. The titles are from the iconic Mary Oliver poem Wild Geese, which is where the bird theme comes from. I used a really lovely fancy liquid mirror silver paint for the geese on the cover, which is gorgeous in person but hard to photograph.

More geese! Some menu formatting! Also, a food-themed illustration at the beginning of each chapter to match the menu item. (Thank you, stock images on The Noun Project.) This was another fun one to play with.

Not pictured here for either book: the insurmountable printer issue I was having where any page with an illustration turned out extra-dark, and the flip side was correspondingly lighter. BUT. I'm still pretty pleased with how they both turned out, happy to have both of these on my shelf, and even happier to send them off in a set together to the authors' hands.

Happy slightly belated FFWAD, Leiascully and Coffeesuperhero!

[security-chief-odo]

The Fake Dating Job - Chapter 4

Elliot Spencer x Reader

Previous chapters: 1 2 3

Note: Thanks for your patience. My life has been crazy as of late. In exchange for bearing with me, I offer you, probably my favorite chapter so far of any of my fics.

Word count: ~3.7k

Description: You and Eliot pine for each other throughout the reception. Will your ex get in the way of your happiness?

• • •

After the ceremony, you and the rest of the bridal party are asked to hang back for photos. As the rest of the guests file into the reception hall for the cocktail hour, Eliot makes a brief detour to give you a peck on the cheek. “See you inside sweetheart.” he says softly before rejoining the rest of the guests.

Your mind occasionally wandered to Eliot throughout the photo process, whereas his mind never left you from the moment that he left the bridal suite this morning. You looked gorgeous in the dress your sister had picked out for you. Maybe he could blame the dress for why he spent more time focused on you than on the actual wedding.

Though that is the beauty of this whole plan, there would be nobody to explain it to as he was supposed to want to stare at you. There would be no moment where Hardison calls him out for staring at you for a little too long. There would be no explaining, rather lying, to Parker about how protective he gets over you on a mission. There would be no knowing look across the room from Nate or well meaning advice from Sophie. There would be nothing but his own thoughts and delusions that you would ever want him to be more than just your fake boyfriend.

When the bridal party finally makes their entrance into the reception hall, his eyes are searching for you. Despite how happy you are for your sister, a feeling of relief nearly consumes you once you find yourself by Eliot’s side once again. Though, as you make your way to the table, your relief falters slightly at the realization of who you’ll be seated near. Your ex is seated at the same table as you, only two seats away.

Eliot’s warm embrace calms you though. This is what he was here for ultimately, to be a barrier between you and your ex. To make the night go better for you. And in a small way, he was already doing just that.

After the couple shares their first dance, dinner is served. You desperately try to avoid giving your ex any attention, and Eliot makes that easy. He eats slowly, taking time between bites to shower you with little bits of affection. His hand rests on your thigh through much of the meal and you hope that the flush that crosses your cheeks isn’t too obvious in the dim lighting. You could get used to these casual touches, if only they weren’t for show.

“How’d you like the food?” you ask, hoping that a bit of small talk can keep your wishful thoughts at bay.

“It was alright.”

That response alone was very telling so you quietly finish the sentence he was too polite to complete. “But you could’ve done better?” You raise your eyebrow at him as he half nods.

“I’m just sayin’ I know what these wedding caterers charge and they should take a bit more pride in their work.”

You can’t help, but chuckle at this as the DJ announces the father daughter dance. You turn your chair towards the dance floor to watch your father and sister share this moment and Elliot does the same beside you. He wraps his arm around you and pulls you closer to him. You can’t help but lean into the touch. You probably don’t need to do as much as you are to sell the act, but damn it, if this is your only opportunity to be this close with Eliot, maybe relishing in it a little isn’t a bad thing.

After the dance, cake is served and this time Eliot has no complaints. The cake is as close to perfect as any cake could be. As you finish, you remind yourself to ask your sister where she got the cake from so you could maybe stop by the bakery on your own before you leave town.

As the dance floor opens up, you take this opportunity to go talk to your parents. You haven’t had enough time with them this weekend and you really have missed them. Ever the gentleman, Eliot insists on tagging along to properly meet them. He is far too good at this fake boyfriend thing.

You greet your parents with a warm hug. “I’ve missed you guys!” you say trying to be heard over the music. “It’s been too long.”

“And whose fault is that?” your dad asks.

Your mom nudges him and gives a disapproving glare at his bluntness. “You should visit more. Maybe then it wouldn’t have taken so long for you to introduce us to this handsome fella.”

“I’ve been telling her the same thing.” Eliot steps in with the charm offensive in full force. “I’m Eliot.” He shakes each of your parent’s hands. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“All bad things I suppose?” your mom asks teasingly.

“Hardly. She’s told me so many fun stories about your family. Though maybe a few of those stories could be classified as embarrassing.”

It’s nice to see your parents get along with Eliot, though it shouldn’t matter to you. You will have a fake breakup in a few weeks and this will be nothing but a memory for both of you. A damn good one too.

You’re broken out of that train of thought when you hear your mom reply, “Oh, is that so?”

“She’s got plenty of embarrassing stories of her own.” your dad adds in. Eliot lets out a hearty laugh at the prospect.

“Oh? Any worth telling?” You bury your face in your hands in fear of the mortifying words that may come next from either of your parents.

“How about you buy me a drink and I’ll tell you anything you wanna know about our dear Y/N?” Your mom suggests.

“Gladly” Eliot guides your mom to the bar and out of your earshot as you sit with your father.

You sit in silence at first, just enjoying the shared time. Minutes pass before your father speaks again, without even looking directly at you, “He’s good for you, you know.”

You figure the best way to avoid being caught in a lie is to just stay as close to the truth as possible, so you tell your dad your real thoughts on Eliot. “I know, he’s a really nice guy. He’s funny and caring. I really love him.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He turns to fully face you. “I just haven’t seen you this happy in some time.”

“Oh.” you say, stunned. This statement catches you off guard but luckily your father continues, so you don’t have to fill the silence.

“You seemed so sad before, especially with James. You used to force those tight lipped smiles that you thought we didn’t notice. This new guy has brought back your infectious smile. The one you don’t even seem to notice, you just do it.” He pauses slightly, “I missed that smile.”

This conversation comes to an end as your mom and Eliot return laughing loudly. Once he approaches the table, he stops in front of you. “Care for a dance?” He offers you his hand.

You gladly accept and follow him out onto this dance floor.You dance through several upbeat songs, joking and laughing at each other’s goofy dance moves throughout. For a moment, you forget how painful going back to normal life may be because having this much fun with Eliot reminds you how important your friendship is. The heartbreak could never break this bond. The bitterness of pining could never overpower the sweetness of these moments you share.

He spins you around and holds you close to him, your back to his chest. As you sway together to the music Eliot whispers in your ear, “You know, your mom told me some interesting things about you.”

“Oh god. What did she say?” You brace yourself for whatever ungodly stories from your youth your mom may have dug up for this occasion.

“Nothing too bad. I actually thought it was cute.” You turn in his arms to face him and raise your eyebrow as if to ask him to elaborate. “First she told me about the time you cut your own hair.”

You let out a chuckle, mostly in relief at how benign of a story that was. “I can still remember the terrible bangs I had in my school pictures that year. It felt like it took forever for those to grow out.”

“So is that why you convinced your sister to do the same just two years later?” He looks at you accusatorily and you know that your mom had to have given him more ammunition if he’s already digging in on the teasing.

You raise your hands defensively, “I just handed her the scissors and told her I thought she’d look cute with bangs. What she did after that is not my business.”

You wrap your arms around Eliot as you continue to dance as you bicker. “Oh I’m sure it was all her own idea.” His smile only widens as he continues, “She also showed me this picture of you as a kid where you were laying face first into your plate of mashed potatoes. It was cute. You’re still pretty cute when you get all sleepy like that.”

This catches you off guard because it’s just one more moment that’s a step past friendly without any reason for it. Nobody could really overhear your conversation over the music. He said that just for your benefit, or maybe just to sell the act. Maybe in a different life Eliot could have been an actor, he certainly played the part of lovestruck boyfriend pretty convincingly.

Trying not to focus much more on his words, lest their implications consume you, you add, “Did she tell you how I used to fall asleep at my bedtime so religiously I would sleep sitting up at family gatherings or in the cart at the grocery store?” He shook his head in response. “Yeah I wish I was still that committed to my sleep schedule.”

“Well ain’t that the truth sweetheart.” There’s a softness about him that is so rare and nearly indescribable. It’s a nearly magnetic force and you find it impossible to look away from him. It feels like if you even glance away for a second, the levity will be gone and the weight of the world will once again return to rest on his shoulders.

Soon you have to shift your focus as the DJ announces the bouquet toss. The men clear off the dance floor as all of the unmarried women gather. Sure, it doesn’t really mean anything if you catch the bouquet, but you find yourself reaching for it nonetheless. Maybe it was fate or maybe just luck or maybe it was set up by your sister considering her earlier remarks, but regardless the bouquet is in your hand and you’re staring down at it in shock.

Your sister hugs you and you know it’s going to break her heart when you and Eliot “split up.” Though by now, you’re too deep into it and so you have to act excited about this turn of events. A small part of you is excited though, the part that has clung onto every romantic moment this weekend as if it’s more than a fantasy. Perhaps that part isn’t so small.

On the side of the dancefloor the excitement over your purely hypothetical future builds in Eliot too. Fuck it. He won’t have many more chances to do this. He makes his way across the floor to you and happily pulls you to him, first in a tight hug, then into a lingering kiss. One that he has to hope you can’t just feel the sincerity of his desire dripping from.

You could get used to being kissed like this. Though, as your family is currently about half of the room, you pull away from Eliot, you can’t convince yourself to go very far away. Your foreheads rest against each other and the tension is palpable. Damn. He really is committed to convincing your family. He would have you convinced if you hadn’t been the one to set up this whole ruse.

Around you the dance floor fills again as the DJ turns on a slow song. You and Eliot hold each other close as you dance. Eliot softly sings along in your ear. His soothing voice slowly erases every worry you’ve had about this night. You feel safe and at home in his arms, and even if it won’t last, you can’t help sinking further against him. Truly if your heart must be broken, there’s nobody you would trust more to break it kindly.

You and Eliot are lost to the world around you as you both relish in what little time you have left to hold each other. That momentary bliss comes to an abrupt halt as the song fades out and you notice a presence looming just behind you. Just then you hear James’ voice behind you as his hand touches your back, sending a chill down your spine at your own unease. Speaking to Eliot he asks, “May I have her for this next one?”

Something seems off to him, but you reassure Eliot that it’s fine with a polite nod. There’s a sinking feeling in his chest, of course this was never real so he should have been prepared for rejection, but it still stings seeing you in someone else’s arms. Maybe that’s why you invited him, not to avoid your asshole ex, but to make James jealous.

Eliot goes to the bar to drown in something other than his own self pity and insecurities, and is met with your mother inviting him to sit next to her. Despite his own feelings, he won’t ruin things with your family so he orders a drink and sits at the open stool she has offered him.

“You’re good for her, you know?”

“I try to be.”

“I mean it. She’s happier with you than she has been in a long time. She still thinks she doesn’t deserve you though.” your mom looks at him with a sad sort of smile.

“What?” he asks incredulously.

“She’s always been a worrier. You can see it in the way she holds you,” she pauses in thought before correcting herself, “in the way you hold each other. You’re both so scared the other will leave. You don’t think you deserve her either, do you?”

It’s a relief in a way to be able to be truly honest for once this weekend. “No ma’am. I can’t say I do. I’m happy to have her until she realizes that though, and that’s enough for now.” He waves to the bartender and orders a second drink.

“You’re both idiots, I swear.” Your mother lets out a long sigh. “Do you treat my daughter with kindness?”

Suddenly, under your mom’s gaze Eliot feels like he’s sitting in the principal’s office facing detention. He feels small. “Of course.”

“And you love her?”

“Yes.”

“So are you saying Y/N doesn’t deserve your kindness and love?”

“No ma’am.”

“Then pull your head out of your ass and stop acting like she’s going to leave you. That girl loves you, anyone could see that, so why are you sitting here with me at the bar, drowning your sorrows?”

He hangs his head in defeat, he couldn’t argue the point of your affections, not without ruining your plan, so he settles on the easier argument. “She already has a dance partner.” He gestures to the dance floor.

Your mom finally glances over to you and rolls her eyes. “God I’ve always hated that son of a bitch.”

Eliot can’t help the deep belly laugh that escapes him. Your mom cursing in anger is funny when it’s not directed at him. It’s then when you turn to where he can see your face, your features lined with sadness. His protective instincts finally kick in and he heads your way. He tries to hang back to get the full scope of the situation.

As Eliot was at the bar, your ex had been saying truly awful things. As Eliot reapproached, he continued. “He’s gonna leave you, you know?”

Eliot couldn’t make out any of what was being said, but he knew from the tension in your body that you weren’t happy. He’s kicking himself now for letting his own insecurities put you in the exact kind of situation he was here to help you avoid.

Not wanting to cause a scene, you plaster a fake smile on your face and through gritted teeth say “I fail to see how that’s any of your fucking business James.”

“I’m just looking out for you, babe.”

“Don’t call me that” you cut him off.

He continues, not acknowledging what you said. “I may have moved on, but I still care about you. You don’t deserve to be hurt when he finds a prettier girl and runs away with her.”

“Fuck off, James.” Eliot isn’t going to stay with you, but that doesn’t mean you need to tolerate James’ bullshit. You pull yourself out of his hold but he follows behind you.

Eliot quickly approaches as he sees this and is in earshot finally for the last insult James throws out. “You know, I don’t know why you bothered catching that bouquet. Nobody is ever going to love you, much less marry you.”

In an instant, James is grabbed from behind, turned, and pinned against the nearby wall. You barely hear the commotion behind you as you exit the reception hall and finally let a tear run down your face.

Inside all eyes are on Eliot and your family has gathered as he begins yelling at James, “What’s your fucking problem, man?”

All too cocky, James smirks, “Here to ask if you can have my current girlfriend when we break up? You clearly love my leftovers.”

That earns him a broken nose. Eliot’s fist makes sharp contact with his face and the blood from his nose quickly stains his white shirt. “You need to shut the fuck up and leave Y/N the fuck alone, or you’ll find out just how quickly I can break another bone.”

Ever the idiot James opens his mouth to reply, but, before he can, your sister yells at him, “Better yet, get the fuck out of my wedding.”

With the bride’s blessing, Eliot and your father drag James out to his car and, seeing he’s been beat, or perhaps fearing being beaten again, he leaves without another word.

He sees you sitting on a bench outside the reception hall and breaks into a jog, wanting to comfort you. He holds you to his chest as you gently sob. As much as you didn’t like that James was saying it, you couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right, but you let that insecurity burrow further inside your heart as you realize something far worse. You probably just ruined your sister’s wedding.

You sit up abruptly and wipe the tears from your face, “I need to go apologize to my sister.” You run inside, leaving Eliot to slowly follow, though he washes your ex’s blood off of his hand before re-entering the reception hall.

Your eyes scan the room and finally land on your sister. The anxiety makes the words practically spill out of your mouth, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a scene at your wedding. I know I can’t make it better, but I’m sorry for ruining your night.”

Both of you are crying now. “You didn’t ruin anything. I shouldn’t have let him come, even if he was dating one of the other bridesmaids. If anything you fixed the wedding by getting rid of that piece of shit.”

“Well I’m pretty sure the getting rid of him part was more Eliot than it was me.” you chuckle. He walks up behind you, as if summoned by the mention of his name.

He looks toward your sister and her now husband as he wraps his hand around yours. “I am so sorry for,” he pauses and gestures vaguely towards the spot he had pinned James, “well, all of that really.”

Your sister laughs, “No need. We’ll just call it dinner and a show, and it was quite the show.” she leans in towards you both and in a far more serious tone adds “I heard from some of the others what he was saying before. You did the right thing, you could’ve gone a bit further to teach him a lesson if you ask me.”

He looks to you, now remembering that your ex had plenty of time in his absence to say far worse than what Eliot heard. “Wish I would’ve.” he lets out a nervous laugh, still unsure where he stands with everyone else. “I’m just glad he’s gone though and can’t cause any more trouble.”

Your sister replies, “Agreed. Though maybe try not to hit anyone at the next wedding?”

“I think I can manage that.” He smiles, glad to see that everyone is still in good spirits.

The groom, also seeming to relax, throws in, “You’d better because if those flowers are anything to go by, it’ll be your own.”

Eliot wraps his arms around you, and with more sincerity than you were prepared for says, “Hopefully.”

Trying so hard not to get lost in your imaginary future with Eliot, you change the topic. “Your wedding was really beautiful by the way. Congratulations.” You hug your sister. As you pull away, you lean back against Eliot and say. “I think it’s time for us to go back to the hotel though. I think we’ve created enough of a story tonight.”

“Of course,” she agrees. “Have a good night. Thank you both for coming.” Then as you walk away, your sister calls after you, loud enough for about half the room to hear, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, lovebirds.”

This leads to a few hoots and hollers from the other guests, just trying to tease and embarrass you further. You flip your sister off as Eliot guides you out of the room.

• • •

Next chapter

Let me know what you think!

Taglist: @mini-kunoichi @javicstories @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @being-worthy @xkell-bellx @imaginecrushes @sleeplessskeleton on @fablesrose @unholyhuntress @wonderlandfandomkingdom @fictional-hooman

[vivitalks]

“Parker,” Eliot hisses at the ceiling vent, “what the fuck?" Aw, shit. “Aw, shit.” Hardison grimaces, rubbing his head. In the…excitement of the night, he completely forgot about Parker. “Parker, why are you in the ceiling?” There's a long pause. “I don't understand the question,” Parker says.

eliot/hardison/parker rights

[fablesrose]

The Christmas Tree Job

Description: It's after Thanksgiving, so what does that mean? It's time for the crew to get a Christmas tree!

Pairing: none (general crew shenanigans)

Warnings: none

Words: 1040

A/n: This is a Christmas exchange gift for @laser-tripwires / @the-tomorrow-road (Sorry tagging isn't working, I'll send this to you!) Merry Christmas, I hope you like it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all started with a sigh, as many adventures seem to do.

“What is it, Parker?” Eliot asked her, watching as she sat upside down on the couch, feet over the back and her hair brushing the floor.

“It’s so boring in here. And bland. It’s supposed to be Christmas!” she huffed.

“Parker, Thanksgiving was like two days ago. It’s still November,” Eliot replied, turning back to what he was reading. 

“So? We should decorate in here,” Parker sat up suddenly and awkwardly, “We need a Christmas tree!”

“You do realize that this is still my apartment, right?” Nate walked to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, “What if I don’t want a Christmas tree?”

“It’s our office,” Hardison answered, “and need I remind you? Landlord!” Hardison waved his hand up haphazardly from where he was working on his laptop.

“Come on Nate,” Sophie said from the kitchen, “you need to spruce this place up a bit anyway. Might as well do it now for Christmas.”

Nate sighed, “Well, I guess it’ll happen either way.”

Parker cheered. 

After Parker rounded everyone up, the crew headed to the store for decor. 

Hardison was pushing Parker around in the cart as she frequently snatched boxes of decor from off of the shelves on either side of her. She piled them up around her in the cart.

“Careful Parker,” Eliot said as he caught a box that slipped off a shelf.

“I don’t think I’ll have enough room in the apartment for all of this stuff,” Nate commented.

“Don’t worry about it Nate, I’ll make it work,” Hardison insisted as he helped balance another box.

“That’s what I’m worried about…”

Sophie bumped his shoulder, “Isn’t this so much fun? We could get a live tree after this!”

Nate shook his head, “No, I am not cleaning up after a live tree and worrying about watering it.”

Eliot popped up behind him, “It’s not a real Christmas without a real Christmas tree Nate.”

“Why do you keep doing that?” Nate muttered when he tried to suppress a flinch, “And I said no.”

“What is a live Christmas tree like?” Parker asked from up ahead. 

“It’s bringing a bit of nature into your home. It smells like a forest and a breath of fresh air. And when you light it up with some lights and ornaments, it looks real pretty,” Eliot described.

“I want one.”

“A fake one would look just as good,” Nate said.

“It’s not the same,” Eliot huffed at him.

Regardless of what Eliot and Parker wanted, the crew walked down the fake Christmas tree aisle. Sophie was enjoying herself weaving through the ones that were set up, pointing at every other one to say what nice feature it had. 

“Oh, this one is red and it sparkles!”

Eliot huffed a bit to himself that Parker mimicked with a hum. While she wasn’t as excited as before, everyone could tell she was at least partially intrigued. That was until they overheard a family a bit down the aisle having a disagreement. 

“Honey, can we please get a live tree, just for this year?” the woman asked.

“You know how much work it is, I just don’t want to worry about it. Have a relaxed Christmas,” the man replied.

“I know, but the only fake trees I can find are these GoodBrite trees. You heard the neighbors, three houses have caught on fire because of them.”

The man nodded to himself as he was remembering, “Okay, we’ll keep shopping, maybe look at some live ones.”

She smiled appreciatively and lovingly at him and linked her arm with his as they continued to walk the store. 

Hardison looked at the crew members one by one, “And…”

They took a moment to look around the aisle, and sure enough, like the woman said, the only brand available was this GoodBrite.

“Well guys… Looks like we have some work to do,” Nate said as he walked down the aisle ahead of them. 

“Does this mean we can have a real tree?” Parker called from the cart. 

“I’ll think about it!”

Nate sighed in resignation as Eliot walked in with a live Christmas tree and set it up in the corner, but didn’t fight it anymore. 

“Alright Hardison, run it.”

“So, historically, GoodBrite has been a relatively small company that hasn’t really had a specialty. Mostly making odds and ends,” Hardison explained. “That is until the last couple of years, when they got bought and the new CEO has taken over, Jack Frosten.”

“Jack Frosten?” Sophie repeated. 

“Yeah, and he follows The Santa Clause 3 plot and has declared himself the King of Christmas. And to be fair, he’s kinda followed through by building GoodBrite up to be a big name Christmas supplier.”

“And the trees?” Nate asked. 

“Well, the couple at the store was right, there have been records of hundreds of houses burning down with the Christmas tree not the official cause, but suspected. It has also been suggested that Jack knew about a defect that causes the fires but has refused to recall the trees.”

“Classic,” Eliot grunted from under the tree, having Parker direct him to make sure it was straight. 

“And I’m sure he’s keeping it nice and quiet,” Nate added with Hardison nodding in agreement. 

“So if we can get some records that prove he knew about it…” Hardison suggested.

“And make it go public, or force Jack’s hand…” Sophie added.

Nate stood and paced around the room for a moment, thinking and nodding his head. He stopped at the head of the room. 

“Alright everybody, let’s go steal Christmas back.” Nate started to make his signature dramatic exit before Parker spoke up.

“Can we decorate first?”

Nate stopped and looked at her and Eliot who was fluffing up the tree a bit behind her. Parker had a wide eyed look  as she pushed her Santa hat up so it wasn’t covering her eyes. 

“Please?”

Nate sighed, “Yeah, we can decorate first.

“Yay!” She cheered as she dashed off to grab the boxes of baubles and tinsel.

Even saving Christmas could wait a few hours if it meant Parker could finish her Christmas Tree Job. 

[make-me-imagine]

What You Want the Most

Plot: Forgetting it's Valentines Day, you end up with Eliot at HQ cooking dinner together. As you spend the evening together, the tension between you builds to a breaking point.

Prompts: 'A and B end up spending Valentines together even though they aren't a couple (but they do have crushes on each other)' + 'Cooking dinner together'

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Gn!Reader *Use of Y/n a few times

Requested By: @spuffyfan394 and @youngcroissantturkeyworribler (2nd prompt was requested by both of you)

Warnings: Kissing towards the end. Mention of "drinks" but no alcohol specifically is mentioned.

Words: 2k

-

Walking into Leverage HQ, you looked around expecting to see the others littered around the room, talking, arguing, or playing games. But instead you were met with silence.

You lingered in the entrance, confused for a moment, before you heard a clatter coming from the kitchen. Walking closer and peering in, you saw Eliot and felt your heart jump a bit.

"Eliot?" You called out, watching as his eyes quickly shot towards you.

His mildly defensive demeanor quickly faded as a smile crossed his face "Hey Y/n, what are you doing here?"

You smiled and shrugged as you leaned on the counter nearby "I came over to see what was up, since I haven't heard from anyone. I wasn't expecting everyone to be gone, what's going on?"

Eliot paused as he peered at you for a moment, an amused smile playing on his lips.

You rose your brow "What?"

"You do know what today is don't you?"

You blinked a couple times as you tried to remember if anything special was happening. He smiled a bit more as he crossed his arms.

"Give me a hint?" You said with a smile and he chuckled

He shook his head with a laugh "It's Valentines Day."

You opened your mouth in realization as you tilted your head back "Ohh, right, forgot about that." You laughed softly at yourself as you scratched your head.

"Clearly" He chuckled "Though I'm surprised you didn't have plans." His voice seemed to change as he said that, and you couldn't help but notice.

"Why's that?" You asked curiously.

He peered over at you as he continued to take out a few dishes "Aren't you seeing someone, that guy...Chuck?"

"Chris?" You asked with a laugh before you shook your head "No, couldn't get over the fact that he doesn't like Queen." You said with an obvious note of sarcasm.

"Well, that is a good reason." He said with a soft laugh.

You smiled as you stared down at the ground "No, I just didn't feel it, he's not right for me."

'He's not you.' The thought ran through your head.

Eliot looked over at you "Well I wasn't gonna say it." He said with a soft tone, making you smile as you looked over at him.

'Good' he couldn't help but think, he hated the idea of you with someone else.

He cleared his throat as he threw a towel over his shoulder "You hungry?"

You looked down at the ingredients he had laid across the counter. "I could eat."

He motioned his head for you to come closer "Good, you can help."

You smiled as you walked over, your heart fluttering in your chest. You weren't expecting to suddenly be spending Valentines Day with Eliot, but it was the best thing that could of happened.

Eliot slid the vegetables over to you on the cutting board "Julienne" he said before he moved over to the stove.

You started to wash everything as you peeked over at him "So, why aren't you doing anything tonight?"

You saw a smile cross his face as he shook his head as he looked over at you "I am." He motioned to the kitchen "We're cooking dinner together aren't we?"

You couldn't stop the smile that spread across your face, and you hoped that the obvious heat crawling up your neck and face was not obvious.

He didn't look at you long and you were glad, you feared your feelings would be to obvious if he kept looking.

Going back to the cutting board, your heart was a mess in your chest as you thought about it more. You had feelings for Eliot, you had for a long time now. And now, you were cooking dinner together on Valentines Day, sure it wan't intentional and it just kind of happened, but it was still making you nervous.

As you stared down at the vegetables, you paused 'Julienne' you knew what that was, so why was your mind blank?

Eliot glanced over at you, seeing you staring down at the vegetables with a blank stare. He smiled to himself before he walked over and spoke softly obviously catching you off guard.

"Did you forget what a julienne cut is?"

You side-eyed him "No."

He rose one brown as you sighed.

"Yes."

He chuckled as he moved behind you. You felt your breath catch as your whole boy froze. You felt him right behind you, chest gently pressed against your back as his hands came around from behind you.

Placing his hand over your hand that held the knife, he grabbed a nearby pepper. Slowly he pressed your hand to chop the pepper the correct way.

You watched closely, trying to focus, aware of his face just beside yours, breath just grazing your cheek. You felt him look at your profile before he spoke

"Thin strips, julienne."

You nodded in understanding as you looked over, your eyes locking with his. You felt it, the electric like tension that seemed to buzz between you, did he feel it too?

"Thank you" You muttered out as you forced yourself to look back down at the pepper.

Eliot stared at you for another second before he reluctantly removed his hands from yours before going back over to the stove. His own heart was pounding heavily in his chest. Having you that close to him, it took everything to not pull you even closer.

After a few moments of silence, your heart finally slowed down a bit. You spared a look over at him and noted the way he was so careful with his cooking. You wanted to do this with him more. You enjoyed it, it felt comforting.

"I'm done." You said as you looked down at the divided vegetables, all cut in what you hoped was the proper way.

Eliot walked over and looked down at the cutting board before he smiled and met your eyes "Perfect"

You smiled in return taking them over tot he stove with him. Watching as he prepared a dish to go in the oven, he turned and wiped his hands.

"That'll take a while, let's go sit somewhere."

"It's nice outside." You suggested and he nodded as he gabbed some drinks "Outside it is then."

As you went out to the patio, you looked up at the now dark sky. The sun had set shortly after you arrived, and the stars were beginning to pop out. It was chilly, but not cold, you were sheltered from any cold breeze by the walls around you.

Sitting down, you smiled in thanks as Eliot slid you a drink.

"What did Parker and Hardison decide to do tonight?" You asked with curiosity.

Eliot shook his head "I'm not sure but I think it involved alligators."

You rose your brow "So Hardison's dead then?"

"Might be" Eliot chuckled.

You laughed along as you leaned back in your chair before you peered up at the sky again.

Eliot watched you for a moment "You really forgot it was Valentines Day?"

You smiled at yourself "Yeah I always do." You looked at Eliot and saw a curious gaze before you shrugged "I've only had two Valentines, first one was in high school, we went to a Valentines dance together. Caught him making out with my friend in the bathroom."

Eliot winced and you continued.

"Second time was not long before I joined you guys. We were in a serious relationship, or at least I thought we were. First Valentines Day, he was out of the county. Second one, I prepared his favorite meal, set up candles and flowers, wore a great outfit, and waited. But he never showed. I texted and called, only to get a pretty short text reply a few hours later. 'I'm sorry but I'm not coming back. I decided It's not gonna work out between us. Thanks for the fun times." You laughed dryly "Hell of a way to break up with someone."

Eliot sighed as he tapped his drink against the tale.

You added on softly "Ever since then I just never saw the point."

"I'm sorry. You deserve better than that."

You nodded "Yes, I do."

He smiled at that before he sat up a bit straighter "Three."

"Huh?"

"You've had three Valentines."

You stared at him in confusion for a moment before he reiterated "High school cheater, scumbag, and me."

You smiled as your heart skipped a beat "It's not the same though is it?"

"How do you mean?"

"We're not dating." You said softly hoping the regret behind that statement wasn't obvious "We're friends."

Seeing Eliot's face become a bit more serious, you feared you showed too much.

Deciding to cover it up a bit, you put on an amused tone and leaned back "Besides, you never even asked."

Eliot stood up and you felt your chest clench. Pulling out the chair beside you, he moved it to face you. Sitting down, he leaned forward as he stared at you more intensely than you were prepared for.

"What are you doing?"

"Asking you." He replied quickly, but with a soft tone.

You felt short of breath as he reached forward and grabbed your hand, wrapped his own around them.

Looking back into your eyes he smiled softly "Will you be my Valentine?"

You forced out a soft laugh "Quit joking around Eliot."

You tried to pull your hands away, convincing yourself he was just joking, but you hesitated when he gripped his hands around yours tighter and pulled them back towards him.

You locked eyes with him, confusion written on your face as Eliot's gaze became more sincere. You felt it again, that electric tension between you, but this time, you didn't doubt that he felt it too.

"I'm not joking." He shook his head lightly "I want you to be my Valentine. Hell I've wanted to ask you for years, but...I always thought you would say no."

"Why?" You asked with a strained whisper.

You didn't deny it, you couldn't, how could you? If he had asked, you would have said yes, of course you would have.

"Because I'm Eliot Spencer. And you deserve better, you deserve more."

You shook your head, always hating how he saw himself compared to how you saw him. "I've never met better than you Eliot. And even if I did why would I want it?"

You saw shock cross his eyes for a moment before he smiled, a light scoff coming from him. "But I-"

"I would have said yes. Every time." You added on, not allowing him to say more, not allowing him to bring himself down anymore.

"You're the one who deserves better, who deserves more, but you never let yourself see that." You continued, never removing your eyes from him. "I couldn't be with Chris because he wasn't you."

Eliot seemed to be left speechless before he let out a soft breath, lowering his head he brought your hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it.

He met yours eyes again "And I've never stayed with anyone because they were never you."

You couldn't help the smile that came to your face. Eliot felt his chest tighten as he took a breath. All this time you were waiting right there for him. He couldn't let you, not anymore.

Holding your breath as Eliot reached towards you, his hands gently cupping your face as he pulled you closer to him. You met him as his lips pressed against yours.

It was a gentle, yet desperate kiss. Something you both had wanted for so long. Slowly the kiss deepened, became more passionate as his hand cupped the back of your head. His other arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Your hand wrapped around his wrist as you leaned into him.

Breaking away, breathless, your foreheads pressed together, your eyes locked and the tension was still strong between you. Smiles stretched across your faces as you held each other, finally able to both have what you wanted the most. Each other.

xx End xx

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Leverage/Eliot Taglists: @groovy-lady, @aaannabbanana, @peoniarose, @fablesrose, @spuffyfan394, @malindacath, @winnifredburkleismyhero, @that-marvel-simp, @gatefleet, @bthtallmadge2

[angelwiththeblue-box]

eliot spencer had one job- keep parker and hardison alive, even at the cost of his own life. when worst comes to worst, he would take every bullet, hours of torture, any amount of bad guys coming after him if it meant his partners would stay alive.

and if that meant drinking both cups to ensure hardison lives, so be it.

"no. absolutely not. we can get out of this. the team will find us." hardison argues, but eliot's made up his mind.

"i'm supposed to protect you, let me do this." eliot crosses his arms in front of his chest, the pale lighting of the warehouse reflecting on the fake gemstones. whoever was doing this had a sense of humor. two goblets, identical down to the 'made in china' stamp on the bottom. wine was poured to the same level, and there were no discernible differences that eliot could tell. it was like one of those fucked up morality tests in those movies that hardison loves so much.

"no. no. i won't let you. el, we can make it out of this alive, both of us." tears pool in his eyes and spill down his cheeks. "please don't do this."

eliot wants to believe him, he wants to be optimistic, but more than that, he wants to protect his family.

"it'll be okay, alec. you and parker will live. nate and sophie will live."

"but you won't." hardison's voice breaks and eliot wipes his eyes.

"i've already lived longer than i planned." eliot musters a smile and reaches to take hardison's hand in his own.

the tension eases ever so slightly from hardison as eliot reaches with reflexes quicker than hardison and pours the liquid out of hardison's glass into his own and downs it in one.

.

if you're looking at the art and wondering hey that looks kinda familiar- i stole it from the labyrinth of gedref, the scene where arthur and merlin are about to drink poison. (leveragetober day 15- poison)

.

taglist: @blueskiesandstarrynights @katbratsupernaturalwhore @thedragonemperess @thedrowningpoetofdionysus @joshkiszkashusband @someguyiguess @depressedtransguy @genuine-possum (lemme know if you want to be added or removed)

[free-to-be-no-one-but-mee]

Eliot, also known this weekend as “Chef Merino” (after his favourite type of wool), chopped seasonal root vegetables on a large wooden cutting board. Carrots, beets, turnips, shallots, everything spread out on several baking trays lined with parchment paper, oil and a special herb mix his mother taught him to make as a child.

He’d just taken his earpiece out, as everyone had told him to abandon post. These potatoes didn’t cut themselves, did they, and they wanted their alibis to hold for another two days, damn it. It was imperative the meal he put in front of the Ambassador and his wife was flawlessly executed, and he did not have the time to be a hitter if he was also going to be three Michelin Star Chef Antonio Merion. Only one of them was strictly needed right now, and it wasn’t a guy who could incapacitate another with a pinky and a one-liner.

When the chatter in his ear disappeared, there weren’t much else than the soothing staccato of blade against wood, and the solemn tapping of vegetable cubes sliding off metal. There was also a ticking noise.

A very distinct ticking noise. Eliot turned towards the pre-heated ovens.

Ticktick. Ticktick. Ticktick.

That was the sound of two Culinary Maxator Four-Thousand-And-Three X hitting their breaking curves after being used too hot for too long for too many consecutive days. In itself, this wasn’t anything strange, but the fact was that these were newly installed ovens in a newly renovated house in a newly bought villa, and, to the best of Eliot’s knowledge, this was the first time anyone had even put them on.

“Oh, no, you won’t,” he said, pointing a finger at the ovens. “No. You are not.”

He stepped up to them and put a hand on the glass. Heat radiated from the oven door to his skin and he held just a little too long before pulling back. The ticking continued, and amped up in volume. He pressed his thumb to his red palm. His skin stung, but he picked up the earpiece and put it back in. “Guys, we have a problem.”

Sophie answered first. “Eliot, what’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong with the ovens. They’re breaking.” 

“Breaking how?”

“The pressure is building in the internal pipes and they’re about five minutes from busting from the inside.”

“How do you know?” Parker piped in.

“Because!” Eliot groaned. “It’s a very distinct sound. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, they’re going to burst and there will be no dinner and the Ambassador can’t be blown away by the taste buds because he won’t be able to taste--”

“Eliot!” Sophie chimed. “Is there a backup plan?” 

“A backup plan? Of course, there’s a backup plan! It’s not my first rodeo, Soph. But this is not going to be a walk in the park, let me tell you.”

“Did I hear my name?”

“No.”

“No.”

“Okey-dokey!”

“All I’m saying is that I need...” He looked around the counter at the half finished meal still waiting for heat. “Twenty-eight minutes extra.”

“Shall we say thirty?”

“Twenty. Eight.”

Sophie laughed. “You heard the man! A twenty-eight-minute distraction, guys.”

Eliot took the earpiece out again, muttering. If there was one thing he was going to make damn sure of, was that nothing would ruin his dinner.

Written based on this prompt from @firefly124​ : Eliot, by some other name, while cooking for the team, notices the oven making a very distinctive sound. Maybe it's breaking, maybe it's sabotage, but it is damn well not ruining dinner.

[thisonesatellite]

a sort of homecoming 1/1

...so, guys. i did a thing. i wrote a Leverage fic.

A few months back i was a little stuck inside real life insanity and writing despite all my rage, and i started watching Leverage for the first time. Yes, i know, so late to the party. But also--- i fucking loved the show.

Love the show. Still. Forever. For reasons.

Anyway. There i was, trying not to go off my rocker and started to write this bit of self-indulgence just to clear my head, and it was wonderful. Nobody knew i was doing it. Nobody was waiting for me to finish. i was never going to post it and so i didn't have to check myself or be reasonable or curb my instincts, i could let the self-indulgence run absolutely fucking rampant. And. i. did.

And it gave me the opportunity to build an entire original character from scratch. Which was so much fun.

But then i made the mistake had the good fortune of telling some people what i was doing and they went ahead and screamed shouty support encouraged my lunacy and here we are.

With a whole finished fic.

a sort of homecoming

SUMMARY: This starts in a corrupt medical testing facility (taken straight out of "The Experimental Job") and then takes a hard left into unknown territory, featuring intrigue and fraud, corruption and redemption, bad guys and worse guys, and comeuppance for all. Told from an outsider's point of view. This is my take on a Leverage episode-- with all the plot and hoops to jump through, but also a little bit of connection and human touch. It's not really a love story. It's first and foremost a character study with a bit of action. But there are some feelings here, too.

With all the thanks in the world to @cable-knit-sweater, because i may or may not have confided in her first and she said the LOVELIEST THINGS, and @optomisticgirl, because she did some epic support screaming, as well as a lightning-fast beta that only resulted in me having to add a piddly 2K words, no biggie. And of course to @ohmightydevviepuu who told me about Leverage before anyone else, it's true, but had the misfortune of doing so in one of those phases where my brain could not handle new stuff and was rewatching firefly and The Expanse, etc. 😂😂😂

And lastly, this is a gift for my lovely @anxioussquirrel -- who turned me on to Leverage again, last year, and who deserves all the good things in the world. i love you. A lot. 💕💕💕

[schrijverr]

The Eliot's Birthday Job

Eliot doesn't like celebrating his birthday, the others poke and prod, but he doesn't share. It takes him a while to open up and accept that there are things worthy of celebration.

On AO3.

Ships: background nate/sophie

Warnings: eliot's self esteem issues

~~~~~~~~

Eliot did not care for celebrating his birthday.

His indifference towards his birthday had started long before he joined the military, with too many birthday parties hardly attended and a cake self-made gone unappreciated. But his avoidance of it had only started when his name became a black stripe on most paperwork and his identity was stripped further and further to avoid anyone finding out about Eliot Spencer.

So, he stopped answering when people asked for his birthday and soon no one asked, and if they did it was with bad reason.

Under Moreau the last of his records disappeared from the U.S. government. His blacked out name and files became just splotches until his records held nothing more than E[REDACTED] S[REDACTED] and a whole lot of wasted ink.

He liked it that way. Birthdays were bothersome and full of disappointments with only bad memories attached to them. And why would he want to celebrate the fact that he had survived yet another year? It wasn’t special, nor something worthy of celebration.

It took him a bit by surprise when he found himself working with people who thought differently about that.

At first they hadn’t, it had just been one job. Maybe another one if Nate called. He stayed because it paid well and it was so low level for that kind of money that it was almost laughable. Then he decided that having something steady would be good. Until he couldn't deny to himself that he liked them.

Funny how a betrayal could show you how much you really cared.

Still, that didn’t stop him from getting into the car with the others and returning to the job, even if he was a bit mad at Sophie. She apologized in her own way and he had to admit that he liked her too much to stay mad.

So, they got back together, for just one other job and then another one and one more. It was nice having them there, comforting to hear them banter in his ear. They were his team and he was attached.

Then their camaraderie had to change, all because Sophie was huffy about Nate forgetting something and then he got her something for what she claimed was her birthday, even if Eliot was suspicious about it, though he didn’t care enough to check.

Of course Parker thought it fascinating and she wanted a birthday too, so she picked a date she liked and claimed that was her birthday and Hardison was a sap and trying to woo her, so he had done something nice for her on that day and gotten everyone roped in.

After that it had been a low key cake and some drinks for Nate and something nerdy for Hardison, until it was apparently a thing that they celebrated everyone’s birthday.

Well, nearly everyone’s birthday.

Eliot was having none of it. He had stopped answering the question long ago and if he was honest, he didn’t remember that well either. His birthday just wasn’t important enough and he didn’t want to celebrate it, so he wasn’t telling them when it was.

That was when the nagging started, at first they could have believed that his birthday was before Sophie’s so it just hadn’t happened yet and that he would mention it when the time came, but then they’d went out to the theater for Sophie’s birthday and stole a few diamonds for Parker’s and by the time Nate’s rolled around he still hadn’t said a thing.

So, they started asking him constantly. Whether it was for a cover and his real birthday would be easier to remember or thrown out in casual conversation, they even claimed to check his head injuries by asking him, causing him to roll his eyes and tell them he was fine, never answering them.

He was sure that Hardison had hacked into the top levels of secrecy in National Security to find out, but like he’d said, those records were gone and Hardison had probably only given himself more mysteries he could never solve with the way Eliot’s file had looked.

Hardison’s birthday involved a gathering of nerds of some sort and Eliot having successfully avoided getting dressed up as some sort of Solo, whatever that meant. And he was pretty sure that they had given up on his birthday at that point.

Wrong.

They started asking people he knew. He hadn’t even noticed they were doing it, not thinking it was something he had to watch out for, but whenever he had seemed to know someone they had gone around asking it. They didn’t even try to hide it by the time Shelley came for some poker.

“Hey, can I ask you a question,” Hardison attempted casual, which he had gotten better at on a con, but definitely not as Hardison.

“Yeah, sure, man, what’s up,” Shelley took a sip of beer and lounged in his chair.

“Do you know Eliot’s birthday?”

“What the fuck, Hardison, I thought y’all had given up on that,” Eliot snapped with a frown, what was the big deal about birthdays anyway?

“You don’t know his birthday?” Bonanno asked and Nate softly replied: “Better not to ask.”

Throughout this all Shelley had pulled a thoughtful face and Eliot tried to remember if he had ever told him back when they still served together. He didn’t think so, but one could never be entirely sure.

“Now that you mention it,” Shelley frowned, “I think he never said. Celebrating birthdays is hard enough out there, but Eliot made sure we never made the effort. Secretive back then already,” Shelley laughed it off.

Eliot was silently relieved, he knew the others would be insufferable when they found out and he was perfectly fine, thank you very much.

“Man, are you for real,” Hardison exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I totally thought it was one of your ‘ooh, I’m a scary and mysterious hitter’ things, but you’ve just always been like that.”

“Shut up,” Eliot frowned. “Just because you can’t figure it out, doesn’t mean I have a problem. Now shuffle the damn cards.”

“Alright, alright, no need to be so touchy.”

“I’m not- Dammit, Hardison!”

The topic was dropped for the night and there was enough other shit going on soon that it didn’t come up again after, but now Eliot knew they were still looking and he just didn’t understand. His birthday wasn’t worth celebrating and he didn’t care, so why did they?

However, Hardison picked it right back up again the next day, whining: “Why won’t you just tell us your birthday, man? Is it a hitter requirement to be broody and mysterious about stuff for no reason? Was that in the handbook?”

“Why do you even care, Hardison?” Eliot growled back. “It’s none of your business.”

“Is it something embarrassing?” Hardison asked, continuing on, like Eliot isn’t one of the most dangerous people on the planet. “Is that why you’re not saying? Are you a valentine baby? Is that what it is?”

“I’m not a valentine baby, now drop it, man,” Eliot said.

“Come on, you know I’m too curious. It’s eating at me, man, eating. They blacked out your birthday on your records. Your birthday. That’s nonsense,” Hardison pouted.

“Hardison,” Eliot warned and luckily Hardison realized he was serious and stopped pushing, as he said something else to piss Eliot off, but this time in a way that invited playful arguing instead of Eliot feeling cornered.

It wasn’t that he doesn’t appreciate the team’s interest in his birthday. It was actually kind of nice that there were people, who thought he was worth celebrating. However, Eliot didn’t like the attention, didn’t want a gift from them. They had already given him enough, he didn’t want anything more from them.

Fortunately for him, Hardison must have said something to the others, because they dropped the topic for a good while again.

The next time they brought it up, their operation had moved to Portland and they were settled down and running cons like they always did. Another person from his past showed up. Toby. He owed the man his life and it felt good to give back to him.

However, he did maybe begrudge the man for greeting him at the Brewpub with a: “Eliot, boy, it’s good to see you. Too many birthdays missed.”

“Yeah, Toby, good to see you,” Eliot replied, slapping his back a few times as he hugged the other man as a greeting. He tried hard to not look affected by the comment, to not notice Nate raising a brow at him. It was only a matter of time, before Hardison slid up to him, saying he asked Toby for his birthday. Dammit.

But then the con went on and while Hardison was the most infuriating man to have in the kitchen, he never said anything about.

Throughout the whole con, Eliot was on edge. Both the stunt they were pulling was personal and he could feel this unasked question tickling the back of his neck, like someone was watching him. So, he was grateful when it’s all over.

To distract from it all, he found himself in the Brewpub’s kitchen, doing the prep for tomorrow. The work soothed his mind and helped get out the restless energy.

He was in the middle of cutting up some cabbages when Hardison appeared in the kitchen. Eliot mentally braced himself as Hardison leaned against the counter next to him and offered him a beer, which Eliot took with suspicion as he paused his cutting for the moment.

“Toby knows your birthday?” Hardison asked after a moment of silence.

“Jup,” Eliot grunted. “Was the only one, but I’m assuming you asked and now you’re here to rub it in my face that you know.”

“Nah, I didn’t ask,” Hardison shrugged, surprising Eliot.

“You didn’t?” he asked, unable to help himself.

“You seemed pretty serious about us not knowing, so I thought better of it,” Hardison tells him, as if he hasn’t been asking for years. “I don’t get why you won’t just say, but I’m not gonna push. No is no, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eliot said a little stunned. He decided that, the bit of grace Hardison allowed him, deserved a little explanation. He told him: “I don’t like celebrating my life. Nothing much to celebrate.”

Hardison was quiet for, then he said: “Okay, I am not here to invalidate your little martyr shtick you love so much, but I want you to know that we think there is plenty worth celebrating about you and we want to do something for your birthday. Give back what you give us. Safety, protection.”

Now it was Eliot’s turn to be silent. Objectively he knew the others were not afraid of him, liked him – loved him even – and wanted him around, but hearing it like that was odd, but nice. Emotions welled up in him and he did not want to deal with them.

So, he cleared his throat and gruffly said: “That’s nice, but I don’t need any of that. Plus, you guys have already given me enough. Trust me.”

It was clear that Hardison was surprised by his honesty. To avoid further conversation, Eliot turned back to cutting the cabbage as Hardison got that smug grin on his face that so often happens.

And like that, there was a period to the end of that conversation. The topic, even. They went laser-gaming for Parker, took the boat out for Nate, took Hardison to some tech convention and let Sophie buy as many shoes as her heart desired without anyone saying a word, before ending the day at Broadway.

Then, they stole something that many would think unstealable and Nate and Sophie retired. If Eliot was honest, he’d tell them that he was sure they’d be out there conning people in their free time for kicks within a month, but he let them walk anyway. They no longer wanted to do this and that was okay, the three of them would carry on.

That night was a bittersweet one. It was the three of them, laying on the ground, bottles of wine and fancy finger food surrounding them as they reminisced on all their old jobs, laughing at the memories and pretending none of them could also cry at the fact that it wouldn’t be the same again.

Change wasn’t bad and they would find their footing soon enough again with Parker at the helm, but it was the end of an era and they all knew that. They all mourned it slightly.

However, it was a good night anyway. One of the best. Laughter in the air and the best moments remembered.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Eliot suddenly speaks up. He asked: “Remember that day we took down Dubenich that first time, back in ‘08?”

The other two make noises of confirmation that they still know, Hardison grinning: “That was a good day,” as Parker nodded with a happy grin.

“That was my birthday,” Eliot confessed.

He wasn’t sure why after all his resistance he suddenly felt okay sharing it. Maybe, he’d been afraid that by saying it, he would break up the team, but now they parted ways, but on good terms. On their own terms.

The team needed to be reshaped and rebuild. A new equilibrium needed to be made. More trust had to be shared with fewer people to fall back on. Maybe this was his way to start that.

Both Hardison and Parker shot up from the floor at his confession to look at him. He send them a crooked grin as he said: “Surprise.”

Slowly, the shock got wiped off of Hardison’s face and Eliot knew what was coming, before Hardison had the time to even grin again. Still, he let the hacker smugly comment: “So when you said we had already given you enough, you meant…”

“Yeah, Hardison,” Eliot rolled his eyes. “I meant the team.”

“Ahww, you do love us,” Hardison exclaimed, pulling him into a hug that had Eliot grumbling, but not fighting back.

Parker latched onto his back and fiercely whispered: “You’re also my favorite gift, Eliot.”

Eliot got choked up, so he hugged them both until he got his emotions under control again. Then he grunted: “You better not tell anyone and I’ll punch you if you celebrate it.”

“Alright, alright,” Hardison said and Parker nodded. They agreed suspiciously easy and Eliot should have seen it coming when they found a loophole.

All five of them had still met up for birthdays, but when Eliot’s rolled around for the first time since their departure, Hardison reached out to Nate and Sophie. He didn’t say anything about Eliot, instead wanting to celebrate the forming of the team, claiming it was more an excuse to see each other again.

Nate and Sophie didn’t complain and while Eliot was a little grumpy, he didn’t mind that much either. Because while Eliot did not like celebrating his birthday, didn’t think he was worth celebrating, he could celebrate the team. They were more than enough for him.

~~

A/N:

Look me in the eye and tell me that Hardison would not 100% try to dress up Eliot as Han Solo

[spoofymcgee]

crowdsourcing to see if anyone knows a leverage fic i lost, because i cannot find it :(

ships are parker/eliot/hardison and i think sophie/nate. it's an au where hearts are something you can take out of your chest and carry around, and they can be broken of full of holes, etc.

i think it's about 20,000 words, and i remember it being a oneshot but i could be wrong.

one of the integral scenes is where eliot and parker are on the mountain and they exchange hearts and eliot puts parker's in his chest to make sure she stays alive.

[gargoyleandgremlinpress]

But wait, there's more Fanfic Writers' Appreciation Day! I have four more books that I CANT POST YET and it's kind of killing me.

I decided I was going to try to finish all four of the books promised to other people that were languishing as WIPs, and I didn't get them in the mail in time to arrive with their recipients before FFWAD, but my GOD, did I get them done and mailed! (@renegadepublishing keeps organizing the events and challenges, and that is what I need some days to get things done.)

First off, there is a copy of Build Me No Shrines, one of my favourite MDZS fic, on its way to occultings, and I have already shared the first copy I made this past Feb here along with all the reasons you should read it. The author copy shows that I've had some more experience, and a few tiny typeset tweaks, and I'm not stalking the tracking number at allll...

The series Shelter Me by thingswithwings is two Leverage fic, Old Dog and New Tricks, an Eliot-centric OT3 full of heart and kink! It is in book shape, on its way to its new home.

Ten Prides in Portland by Leiascully is the same OT3 pairing, what it says on the tin, the slow evolution of Eliot finding queer community over a decade. And Simple Machines is another two-fic series, this one by coffeesuperhero, an adjacent Eliot finds queer community OT3 story. Both books are also headed to their respective authors.

I did not plan the Leverage theme! It just happened! I will go on at greater lengths when I post the finished pictures, but I very much wanted to get a rapid-fire rec post out today for FFWAD.

Happy Fanfic Writers Appreciation Day, everyone!

[security-chief-odo]

The Fake Dating Job - Chapter 3

Elliot Spencer x Reader

Chapter 1 & Chapter 2

Note: So sorry for the hiatus. Life got in the way. Thank you for sticking around and being so patient with me 💕

Word Count: ~1.9k

Description: You wake up in a comfortable warmth the morning of the wedding. This leaves Eliot consuming your every thought as you get ready.

• • •

You start to stir as you feel the light of the sun creep through the sheer curtains of the hotel room. You feel a comfortable warmth envelop you and sink further into it, seeking shelter from the harsh chill of the room.

Suddenly you feel the bed shift under you and realize the warmth you’re feeling is Eliot’s chest beneath you. His arms are wrapped around you as he pulls you close in his sleep.

A soft smile graces Eliot’s no longer sleeping face as he feels you cuddle closer to him. He knows he won’t often get the chance to hold you like this so he pretends to not notice the way you breathe hitches with every movement. He may never get to hold you like this again but he will dream happily at night at just the memory of your soft skin against his calloused hands.

You lay there, eyes now open, as still as you can and just soak in this seemingly unconscious act of affection. This isn’t like every other touch of this torturous weekend. This is real, perhaps unintentional, but real nonetheless. This isn’t for an audience, this is just Eliot holding you to him as he rests.

Sadly the moment is ripped from you as you hear your sister knock on the door to your room. Eliot pretends to startle awake and you do the same as you quickly pull away from each other.

“Y/N!” your sister calls out. “We gotta get going. The makeup artist will be at the venue in half an hour.” Eliot lays back down, now that he knows the disturbance had nothing to do with him.

You sigh and roll out of bed. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten!”

You wash your face and brush your teeth as you try to calm your racing thoughts.

By the time you leave the bathroom, Eliot has settled back in to sleep, stretching his body across nearly the entire bed. You can’t help the smile that crosses your face at the sight of the nearly always tense hitter at ease for once.

You grab your dress and the small day bag you had for the trip and close the door as quietly as you can.

***

You and the other girls are chatting in the green robes your sister gave you each as gifts. You are in the middle of getting your hair done when a text lights up your phone.

Eliot: Did your sister plan lunch for all of you?

“Ooh, you’re blushing y/n” you hear the voice of your sister’s best friend from across the room, “Texting your new man?”

The other girls chuckle and they continue to talk amongst themselves.

You roll your eyes and pretend to ignore them, but can feel the blush light up your cheeks. You show your sister the text to get her answer.

“Mom talked about running to the store and picking up salads or sandwiches later. I just don’t want anything that will upset my stomach. It’s already in knots with everything else today.” She points down the hall and adds, “There’s a kitchen through there if you want her to pick you something to make instead though.”

“Thanks,” you reply as you type out your response.

Y/n: My mom might be picking something up. There’s a kitchen in the bridal suite so we have options. Why?

Eliot: Tell your mom not to worry about it. If it’s alright with your sister, I’ll take care of lunch for you ladies.

Your sister elbows you lightly as she teases, “Do you smile like that at every text or just when pretty boys with long hair text you?”

“You should see the smile I save for spam texts” you deadpan back at her. “Eliot wants to bring us all lunch if that’s alright with you.”

“He’s handsome, has a southern accent and he cooks? Should I be expecting the save the dates when I get back from my honeymoon?” The shit eating grin on her face widens at your clear embarrassment.

“So is that a yes on lunch?”

“Yeah, and tell him I said thank you.”

The hair stylist interrupts “Alright, you’re good to go and I’m ready for the bride.”

You swap places with your sister and grab your phone.

Y/n: She said she’d appreciate you bringing food.

Eliot: Perfect. I’ll be there in 30 and I’ll make y’all something fresh.

Y/n: Thanks! You’re the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.

Your heart sinks in your chest as you read over your own words. It is for the best to stay reminded of the reality of the situation. It would only hurt more if you let yourself get fully lost in it. In just a couple of days everything will return to normal and you’ll still be pining after Eliot and he will remain blissfully unaware.

You try to brush off these thoughts and be present with the others and most importantly, your sister. You put your phone away and rejoin the conversation. “Eliot said he’ll be here in 30 to make us lunch.”

“Damn,” your sister’s maid of honor chimes in, “Where did you find him again and does he have any single friends?”

You and the others laugh at her joke. “I don’t know, with looks like that, I’m more interested to know if he has a brother.” adds in one of the bridesmaids.

Before long the makeup artist is done with the mother of the groom’s makeup and it is your turn in the chair. You settle in and try to distract yourself from Eliot’s imminent arrival by listening to the idle conversation the other women are having.

Part of you is excited that he’s showing up, in small part due to the rumble your stomach lets out, but mostly just because it’s Eliot, and you are a fool who couldn’t help falling head over heels for him. The minutes pass as you try to calm your ever increasing heart rate, but the moment you hear a rapping at the door, your heart begins practically beating out of your chest.

The artist only has your makeup a little over halfway done, so the maid of honor lets him in.He drops off an armful of groceries in the kitchen that the maid of honor leads him to and follows her back to the room you are all in.

He smiles softly at you, which you miss completely as the artist works on your eye makeup. “Hey beautiful,” he says, setting your cheeks ablaze, before turning to the rest of the room,”I should have lunch ready for you ladies in about 20 minutes.” With that he turns on his heel and leaves the room before you have a moment to reply.

The makeup artist makes quick work of the rest of your makeup as the girls chatter around you. Your sister in the chair next to you looks over at you and teases “Damn, y/n. If that’s how he looks at you when you’re not even done being dolled up, I don’t know how he’s gonna tear his eyes away from you long enough to even notice there’s a wedding happening around him in a couple hours.”

In lieu of being able to roll your eyes at your sister, you opt to flip her off.

A bridesmaid chimes in “No, she’s right y/n. That man is absolutely smitten with you.” For a moment, you almost let yourself believe it, but you know he was just playing it up for the girls. After all, that’s what you asked him to do.

Moments later the artist wraps up and finally you are free to go see Eliot in the kitchen. You quietly approach, and of course Eliot hears your steps and knows exactly who it is, but he pretends not to notice you standing in the doorway. He likes when you watch him and maybe he knows if he took the time to look at you right now, he wouldn’t be able to resist holding you in his arms again and you leaving this morning already nearly broke him.

You take in his frame, his arms flexing under his henley as he expertly chops up the last couple of vegetables in front of him, a few strands of his hair falling into his face from his half-ponytail, and those jeans that fit his ass just a little too well for your thoughts to remain pure. Maybe it’s a good thing you’re already in love with him because this almost vulnerable sight would be enough to make anyone fall for him. “Hey beautiful,” you parrot his earlier words back at him.

A goofy, lopsided smile crosses his face, as he puts the knife down and begins assembling sandwiches. He looks into your eyes, not daring to even let his eyes drift as far as your nose. “Hey,” he almost whispers “What can I do for you?”

“You’re already doing more than enough Eliot. I really just came in here to say thank you. Not just for this,” you gesture at the food, “but for this entire weekend. I know it’s a lot to ask of anyone and I really appreciate you doing this for me. I owe you one”

Returning his attention to the food he replies “You don’t owe me a damn thing sweetheart. I’m just happy to help.” He begins cutting the sandwiches into fourths diagonally, of course and you start taking them and placing them on the tray to at least help a little.

Your heart skips a beat when your hands graze against each other as he hands you the pieces that were on the other side of the knife. It is far from the most intimate touch you have had with him, but just like this morning, the private moments, even the unintentional ones, are a lot harder to brush off as part of the performance.

As you finish laying the different kind of sandwiches on the tray, he goes to the fridge and grabs a charcuterie board he had clearly made himself before you entered the kitchen. It was this sight that finally made your stomach let out a rumble. He looked you up and down before asking “Hungry?” with a smile.

“A little.” you joke in return.

He reaches around you to grab the sandwich tray. With both hands full, he leans over and kisses your cheek before replying “Then lead the way princess.”

And with that small act, clearly not an accident nor an act you were left reeling as you rejoin the others. He places the two platters on the table before “I will see you this evening, but I think your sister would be pissed if I show up to the wedding like this.”

Your sister laughs, “Well, he’s not wrong.”

With that, he takes his leave with a quick peck on your lips and a polite wave to the room. Your heart is beating out of your chest and you can only hope nobody can tell.

• • •

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think

Taglist: @mini-kunoichi @javicstories @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @being-worthy@xkell-bellx @imaginecrushes @sleeplessskeleton @fablesrose

[vivitalks]

It doesn't make much sense that he and Hardison understand each other this well. On paper, they couldn't be less alike. Give Eliot a face to punch over a code to crack any day. He likes things simple: if you're stronger than the other guy, he goes down and you don't. In Eliot's line of work, the hard way is the only way to learn. Nothing about this bizarre triangular dynamic of theirs is simple. And yet, in spite of that, Hardison just…gets it. Even when Eliot kind of doesn't really get it, Hardison gets it. Parker gets it. They don't ask him to change. They just show that he fits, exactly as he is. (Or: a morning with Eliot, Hardison, and Parker.)

some more leverage ot3 :)

[asirensrage]

Ah prompts... Yandere prompts, about Eliott Spencer maybe?

"2. You know, there’s only so much you can do to ignore me when we’re this close."

🫠

No pressure or expectations, am already happy to be able to post a gif of this stud.

OKAY! This took way longer than I thought (but not as long as the other prompts in my ask box) so I'm sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy it, even if it's not that long!

Rating: M...ish? Fandom: Leverage Pairing: Eliot x unnamed!female!oc Warnings: suggested obsession? Persistent interest despite being shut down. Sexual themes? Being trapped in a closet. I don't know what else tbh. Un-beta'd!

Honestly, she’s been in worse situations. 

She’s not worried about being trapped in what can barely count as a supply closet, or the fact that the guards are searching them. It’s the man pressed up against her, trying to protect her from whoever might open the door as he crowds her space. There isn’t any room for her to move back, but she’s tried. All she got for the trouble were the shelves digging into her back. 

She tries not to look at him, praying that they are given the go-ahead to get out of here. Or that the dark will swallow her whole. Anything to get away from the way she can feel him staring at her, from the heat of his arm around her waist. 

“You know,” his voice is soft. “There’s only so much you can do to ignore me when we’re this close.”

“I’m not ignoring you,” she murmurs. It’s a lie. She’s tried to distance herself from him since she became aware of his interest. She doesn’t believe in mingling work and pleasure. 

“Sure, sweetheart, and I’m Santa.”

“Technically, you were,” she says, thinking back on one of Parker’s favourite Christmas stories. 

“You know what I mean.” 

She does but she falls silent. The warmth of him is sinking into her and she finds herself focusing on the way he’s holding her. His grip is tight, as though he can stop her from retreating from him despite the fact that there’s nowhere for her to go. 

“Sweetheart,” his voice is laced with a warning. She swallows tightly, trying to ignore it. He bends down slightly, lips brushing her ear. “I ain’t interested in your games.”

“Then what are you interested in?” She says it before she can stop herself. 

“Thought I made that clear.” His grip tightens, as though he can pull her closer. 

“Eliot.” 

“Yeah?” His voice lowers. “You gonna tell me to stop?”

“Pretty sure the team is listening,” she mutters, trying to dissuade him. “Eliot, don’t do this.”

His lips brush her cheek. “They ain’t listening. Why you still runnin’ from me?” 

“Why are you so persistent? Can’t you take a hint?”

“Because I know when a woman’s not interested, and you are. You’re just scared.” 

She snorts. “Of what?” She won’t admit that his tenacity continues to surprise her, but she knows he’s dangerous. She’ll get lost in him if she lets him close. She also doesn’t want to be the target if his enemies decide to come after him. It’s bad enough she’s working as a part of this team. 

“That I know how to give you what you want. That you ain’t never going to want to leave.”  He lowers his face, lips pressing against her neck with a soft kiss. It’s enough to make her breath hitch and make her flinch back only to be blocked by the shelves. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmurs. His thumb strokes her side where he holds her. 

“Eliot…you can have any woman you want. I’ve seen you. Why are you–why are you chasing after me?”

He pauses for a moment and she shivers when she feels him exhale across her neck. “Something about you that I can’t stop wanting.” She goes to protest and he stops her, squeezing her waist. “It ain’t the chase. Ain't anything but you.” 

She moves carefully before putting her hands on his chest. His muscles are firm under his shirt and she tries to ignore that as she pushes him slightly. He doesn’t budge. 

“Still running…” he says softly. He presses a kiss against her cheek. “You want this as much as I do. Wouldn’t be this determined if I didn’t know that, sweetheart.”

“You don’t know that.” 

He shifts, his grip tightening for a moment before his thigh pushes its way in between her legs. He pulls her closer, making her rest on it. She bites the inside of her cheek, keeping herself from making a sound at the sudden increase of pressure and friction between her legs. 

“Ain’t lying,” he says before one of his hands moves to her cheek and he bends forward, capturing her lips with his. Eliot knows how to kiss, how to ease her into opening up to him so he can deepen it. He groans as he does. It’s strange to taste him, to feel the way his grip tightens as his tongue moves against hers. Her hands on his chest clutch his shirt, unsure whether to keep him close or shove him away like her survival instincts demand. 

The door suddenly opens and Eliot is off of her faster than she can process. He takes down the first guard before going for the second. She stays where she is, mind reeling over the fact that she just gave in to him until he leans back in, looking at her. 

“Come on! We gotta move!”

She shakes the feeling out of her head before running after him. It’s fine. She just needs to get through this job and then…she’ll take a break. Get some space. 

His hand suddenly grabs hers, fingers wrapping around hers. “We’re continuing this later,” he tells her, as if he's read her mind. “You ain’t going anywhere until we do.”

She snorts. That’s what he thinks. 

(don't ask me why the team isn't listening. i'm using my artist license so i don't have to explain...aka come up with a reason. maybe they were. who knows.)

[make-me-imagine]

Not So Unrequited Love

Plot: Eliot seems to be happy with his new relationship with U.S. Marshall Maria Shipp. All the while, Y/n, who has had feelings for Eliot for years, watches. After an overheard conversation, Eliot learns just how stupid he has been.

Requests: Reader is jealous of Maria + “You said you wouldn't fall in love with me." "I lied."

Requested By: Two Anons. Prompt is one half of a request. I will use the other prompt in a separate fic I have planned.

Warnings: Tame themes of jealousy and unrequited love.

Words: ~3k

A/N: This is also a re-write of how Maria and Eliot's relationship ends.

-

"I think I got someone I can call to help us out with that part of the con." Eliot spoke up from beside you as he grabbed his phone and got up to leave.

You felt your chest tighten at his words, knowing exactly who he was referring too. Your fist tightened around your pen.

Parker smirked "Tell Maria hello for me."

Eliot glared at her "You don't know that was who I was gonna call, Parker!"

As Parker rose to follow him she continued to smile "Then who is it, huh? You got another girlfriend I should know about?"

"Parker, don't antagonize him!" Sophie sighed before she turned to you and Breanna. "I'm going to go find our Mr Wilson, you two get ready."

You and Breanna both nodded, watching Sophie leave. Your eyes locked on Eliot outside as he spoke on the phone. He had a smile on his face as he disappeared around the corner.

Breanna looked over at you, noting the way your face had fallen from moments before. She noticed it every time Maria came up in conversation.

"Sooo..." She began slowly as she eyed you.

You looked at her, noting the look on her face. "Are you about to ask for a favor?"

She shook her head "No, not a favor."

"Then what?"

"I was just wondering why it is you seem so effected every time Eliot and Maria are brought up."

You straightened up a bit at this, which she did not fail to notice.

She continued with a hint of caution in her tone "I mean, you're the only one who doesn't make jokes. Who doesn't ask Eliot how he and Maria are. And anytime she gets brought up, you tend to go quiet, or find and excuse to leave."

You smiled softly "You're better at noticing things than I gave you credit for."

She shrugged her head "So what is it?"

You shook your head lightly, uncertain if you should tell her.

She leaned a little closer, her face expressing a small pout. "Come on, please? 'Cause I gotta be honest. When I first showed up here, I really thought you and Eliot were a couple. I mean you two are perfect for each other."

You let out a soft breath "Yeah, I've heard that before."

"So?" She gave you a hard look.

You rolled your eyes lightly before you looked past her to make sure everyone was gone. You took a breath before you began.

"When the team first got together, me and Eliot got along a lot faster than we did with the others. I'm not really sure why, we just...clicked. He would often insist that he didn't like working with a team, that he was better alone, blah blah. One day when we were talking about it again, once the team was a bit more settled. I joked that it was because he wasn't only afraid of finding a family, but falling in love."

Hearing a noise outside, you paused for a moment. Seeing Eliot leaving, you figured he was going to meet Maria. You sighed softly before you continued.

"And honestly, by that point, I...had developed feelings for him. So the joke was kind of a test I guess, to see if he showed any interest"

Breanna leaned a little closer. "Did he?"

You let out a soft dry laugh "Actually, he just retaliated with some dry sarcasm. Saying things like 'Men like me don't fall in love'"

You mimicked his deeper voice and Breanna chuckled.

"But then he said, that I had to promise to never fall in love with him. It was a joke at the time, and I agreed not too. Not that long later I figured it was for the best. I mean, we have a dangerous life, it's dangerous to fall in love in our line of work. But the longer I spent with him and the others, the more I felt at home.

Breanna spoke softly "And...the more you fell for him?"

You nodded softly as you tapped your fingers on the table. "Me and Eliot are close, but not that kind of close. He's never shown any interest in me, not like that. So I just- I stay with him in the ways that I can. While he falls in love with attractive marshals." You smiled, but it did not meet your eyes.

She shook her head as she stared at you with a mix of pity and surprise "You gotta tell him!"

"No, I don't Breanna. He's got Maria, and as far as I can tell, he's happy with her. I'm not the type to try and bust that kind of thing up. Eliot deserves someone, and it took him a long time to get over the not falling in love thing. It may not be me, but, at least it's someone. Besides! What if-" a fearful thought you had many times washed over you. You let out a soft breath. "What if I do tell him, and..."

"And he doesn't feel the same." She said with dejection.

"That would kill me Breanna, and the team would never be the same again." You shrugged, the sadness on your face evident "I can't risk that, I wont."

"So you're just gonna watch the man you love, love someone else?"

You nodded "The things we do for love Breanna, especially unrequited love, often hurt."

Hearing your phone buzz, you looked down to see a text from Sophie. "It's time" You knocked on the table before you began to leave, stopping you spun back around and pointed at her "This stays between us."

She nodded, before she watched you go. A newfound pity, and respect for you heavy on her chest.

--- --- --- ---

Sitting in the food truck with Breanna, you listened to the various conversations over the comms. While Harry schmoozed up to an old evil lawyer, and Sophie made her way back to the truck, you heard the tail-end of Eliot and Maria's conversation.

Your's and Breanna's comms weren't on, so though you could hear them, they could not hear you.

"You owe me for this one Eliot." Maria said.

"Yeah yeah I know." He said with an obvious smile.

"Maybe dinner? When you're done...working, or whatever this is."

"Yeah, dinner sounds good."

"Good. Call me later then."

Breanna made a sound akin to a sick cat "She is really good at" she mimicked a fishing rod "Reeling him in isn't she?"

"Breanna!" You said softly.

"What? I'm on your side."

"On Y/n's side of what?" Sophie's voice came from behind you as she entered the food truck. You looked at Breanna with a mild warning look.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." You said coolly, as you rose. Grabbing your ear comm, you began putting on your coat.

"Mark primed and ready for me?" You asked Sophie.

"Yes." She said while watching you closely, unconvinced of your dismissing comment.

Once you let the truck, Sophie looked over at Breanna, who quickly looked away and began typing.

Sophie sat beside her "Breanna, if something is going on between Eliot and Y/n I need to know. Are they fighting? What is it?"

Breanna looked nervously from her screen to Sophie. "I'm not supposed to talk about it."

Sophie narrowed her eyes "But you clearly very much want to." Her eyes widened a it "Is it a secret? I love secrets! Y/n has a secret from me?"

Breanna shrugged, weighing the consequences. "Okay-" she began as she muted Sophie's the comms so you would not be able to over hear once you turned yours on, "First tell me this. Have you ever thought that Y/n and Eliot should be together?"

Sophie rose her brow "Oh I always thought they should, but I never understood why they haven't." Sophie gasped "What is it, now you have to tell me!"

"Alright Sophie, Maria is gonna help." Eliot frowned when he heard no response "Sophie? Breanna? Y/n what's going on?"

"What?" You whispered.

"Sophie and Breanna aren't responding to me."

"They're in the truck, I just left them. I gotta go, I'm approaching the mark."

Eliot sighed as he walked up to the food truck. Seeing the door slightly ajar, he opened it slowly, fearing someone else may be inside. He paused though, when he heard Sophie and Breanna.

"What is it, now you have to tell me!"

Eliot was about to call out to them, but stopped when he heard Breanna.

"Have you ever noticed Y/n withdrawing and getting weird whenever Maria comes up in conversation?"

"Oh yeah definitely."

Eliot frowned, he never noticed that. He would have noticed that. He felt a small jolt of realization, as he recalled that you tended to avoid any conversation about her. He thought you were doing it for his sake, but maybe not?

"Right?! So, it's because Y/n has been in love with Eliot for years!"

"What!?"

Eliot felt his heart drop as he felt his breath catch.

"Eliot made a joke years back when Nate first got you guys together, that Y/n had to promise to never fall in love with him. They said they wouldn't, but Y/n already had feelings for him then too."

"Oh my God."

Eliot's hands tightened on the handle of the truck as he continued to hold his breath. Everything from years ago rushing back into his head.

"Y/n said that Eliot never showed any signs of being interested in them so they never acted on it. And Eliot would say things like he doesn't fall in love, ya know, typical Eliot stuff. But now, years later he's with Maria and not Y/n, and now they just have to watch, while their heart is being ripped apart watching the man they love, be with someone else."

"Oh dear, poor Y/n." Sophie said with a dejected tone.

"And Y/n refuses to tell Eliot because they don't want to jeopardize ruining the team."

Eliot stepped away and leaned against the truck, finally taking in a staggered breath.

All this time, you had loved him? The years that he spent convincing himself to never feel anything for you. Because it would be dangerous, because you deserved better? The whole time, you were doing the same, for him.

As much as it broke his heart never being with you the way he dreamed, he convinced himself it was for the better. So when people like Maria came into his life, he jumped in. Now he knew that every time he did that, he was hurting you.

All this time, you had never gotten into a serious relationship. Was this why? What it because of him?

"Eliot? Hello!?"

Breaking from his thoughts as Sophie's voice rang in his ears, he shook himself from his thoughts.

"What?"

"Are you coming back to the truck? We have to go."

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming." He replied, waiting for a few moments before he went into the truck.

Right now he needed to focus on the con, but once it was over. He would fix this. He would set it all right.

--- --- ---

You grinned at the client as she shook Sophie's hand, before turning to the rest of you "Thank you all so much."

"I hope you're able to get back on your feet quickly, let us know if there is anything else we can do." You said softly.

As she thanked you all again and walked off, you looked around at the others. You paused momentarily as you saw Eliot staring intensely at you. His face a mix of emotion you weren't sure you could identify.

Seemingly pulling himself from his thoughts, he pulled his eyes from you as he turned to follow the others inside.

Letting out a sigh as you looked around, you smiled, glad the con went well.

Looking at the time, you felt a small tug at your heart as you recalled Eliot's promise to Maria of dinner. You sighed as you tried to shake the thought from your mind, as you had many times before.

Taking a short break with everyone before they left, you were left alone, sitting at the tables outside the restaurant. You slowly spun the glass in your hand as you stared into the bubbles of the drink.

You were so lost in thought, you didn't see Eliot come around the corner. You didn't see him stand there for a while as he watched you.

He felt guilt pull at him as he watched you sit alone. After most cons, you and him would sit outside somewhere, talk, laugh, eat, watch the stars. It was your thing.

But recently, he would leave after cons to go see Maria. Just another thing he took from you.

Finally walking up to you, you heard his steps and looked up. You smiled at him with mild surprise. He smiled in return, feeling a warmer tug at his heart than before.

"Everyone leave?"

"Yeah" You nodded before you frowned slightly "I thought you were getting dinner with Maria?"

Eliot let out a sigh as he sat in the chair next to you. "Yeah, about that. I did see Maria, but it wasn't to get dinner."

You furrowed your brow "Something happen?"

He nodded "Yeah. Uh, me and Maria aren't going to be seeing each other again."

You sat up a bit straighter, both pain for Eliot, and a small amount of relief washed over you. "What happened?"

"I did." He said softly.

You turned in your chair to face him "I don't get it."

"I ended it, because...I overheard a conversation between Breanna and Sophie earlier."

"About...Maria?" Your heart was beginning to pick up pace as you swallowed hard. What exactly did Breanna and Sophie talk about when you left?

He shook his head "No, about you."

You stared at him with a blank face as you processed what he said. When you left Sophie and Breanna in the truck, she had just walked in after Breanna made a comment about being on your side.

"Oh God." You muttered before you leaned down, setting your head on the table a bit harder than you intended "What did the say?" You asked with a dejected tone.

Eliot smiled a bit as he sat forward, putting his arms on the table and leaning forward. He spoke softly "About how your in love with me. And that you have been for years."

Your heart was pounding in your chest, as your neck burned hot. You were afraid to look up, afraid Eliot would have a look on his face that told you he didn't feel the same.

But then you remembered what started this conversation. He ended it with Maria because of what he overheard. Did that mean-

Looking up, you saw Eliot with a soft smile staring down at you. No judgement, no repulsion, no rejection.

"You said you wouldn't fall in love with me." He said softly with a smile.

You let out a soft breath "Yeah, well. I lied."

His smile grew a bit "So did I."

You squinted a bit in confusion and he replied "About when I said men like me don't fall in love. Because I did. With you, years ago. And every single day since I, regretted telling you not to fall for me. I never really thought you would, but I wanted it."

"Is that why you never told me?"

He nodded softly "And I'm sorry. If I had, if I had shown any of the things I was feeling...things would've been different"

You shrugged lightly but smiled "Not so different."

He smiled "Maybe not. But they would have been better. I would have gotten what I wanted the most."

"Which is?"

"To be with you in all the way's we never had."

"I anted that too. But you aren't the only one who hid it. I was so convinced you never would that I never showed how I felt either."

He shook his head "I guess we both got that guilt in common then. But at least now we can amend that, and make up for the time we lost."

You smiled, but your face fell. "But what about Maria? I never intended f-"

He shook his head as he leaned forward, setting his hand on top of yours.

"It never would have lasted with Maria. She's a Marshal, and I'm- well, you know. It would have ended sooner or later. And I would rather be with the one person who has always been there for me, seen the best and worst parts of me and never left my side. I'd rather be with you than anyone else."

You gazed softly at each other for a few moments as he gently caressed your hand.

"Since I've been going to see Maria after all of our cons recently, I neglected our routine of getting dinner together. Have you eaten?"

"I have not."

He motioned his head towards the restaurant "Let me make you something to make up for it."

You smiled as you both began to rise "I would never say no to that."

He smiled as you both move to go inside. Suddenly stopping, he grabbed your hand and pulled you into his chest. Staring into his eyes, he smiled at you before his eyes flicked to your lips. Meeting your eyes again his lips quirked into a bigger smile.

Smiling in return as you both inched loser, your lips met in a soft kiss. Placing your hands on his chest, he moved his hands to your waist as he deepened the kiss.

As much as you were going to chastise Breanna for telling Sophie the one thing you told her not too. You'd be forever secretly grateful that she did.

xx End xx

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